Parents of a four-month-old baby, Aminat Shittu, who was diagnosed with congenital heart disease, have sought help, saying they are at their wits’ end.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the baby’s terminal condition was discovered two months after her birth in January 2022.
Her mother, Agnes, a 33-year-old cleaner, said Aminat, who was her last child, fell ill in March and had difficulty in breathing.
She said, “One morning, she started crying profusely and I tried to pet her, all to no avail. She later developed running temperature and we noticed that she had difficulty in breathing.
“We took her to a hospital, where we were asked to get an X-ray done. It was from the X-ray that we discovered the hole in her heart.”
A medical practitioner, Dr Adetayo Johnson, of Caring Trust Medical Centre, told our correspondent that the baby was first brought to his facility, adding that he advised her parents to take her to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital for further evaluation.
The doctor added that the cardiac evaluation confirmed the baby’s condition and she was admitted to LUTH.
He said, “The cardiac evaluation that was done at LUTH concluded that the baby needed to be admitted to the neonatal unit of the hospital so her weight could increase for the surgery. The baby is being prepared for a surgery in India.”
The baby’s medical report sighted by our correspondent revealed that her condition was critical and she needed surgery.
“The above-named patient (Aminat Shittu) was presented with severe pulmonary hypertension two months ago.
“The patient needs urgent surgical trancus repairs by a paediatric cardiothoracic surgeon without delay to avert this life-threatening congenital heart disease to save her life,” the report partly stated.
PUNCH Metro learnt that a total of N9.7m would be needed for the medical expenses.
Aminat’s father, Saheed, a 36-year-old shoemaker, said the family could not afford to pay for the surgery and appealed to Nigerians to come to their aid.
The family’s Access Bank account number: Shittu Oke Saheed, 1604754588.
