Mkama Edward, 28, injects water into a feeding tube to quench the thirst
of his daughter Magdalena, who is suffering the effects of swallowing a
chemical she mistook for water. She is currently awaiting support from
the goverment to attend surgery in India.
By Athuman Mtulya, The Citizen on Saturday Reporter
Posted Saturday, September 21 2013 at 08:10
Posted Saturday, September 21 2013 at 08:10
In Summary
For six months now, Magdalena has been bedridden
with a health complication arising from an innocent act gone horribly
wrong. In March, after a fun-filled game in kindergarten, she reached
for a bottle of water in the school’s store to quench her thirst.
Dar es Salaam. Young Magdalena Mkama turned six
on Thursday. Unlike healthy children of her age, she did not celebrate
her birthday-- only marking it with a silent family prayer.
For six months now, Magdalena has been bedridden
with a health complication arising from an innocent act gone horribly
wrong. In March, after a fun-filled game in kindergarten, she reached
for a bottle of water in the school’s store to quench her thirst.
It would be the beginning of an emotional and
painful journey that would take her from Musoma to Dar es Salaam, where
doctors have been battling to treat the debilitating effect of
corrosion. Magdalena apparently drank caustic soda, a water-like
chemical used in the school to make soap.
To save her life, doctors have inserted a tube in
her stomach to feed her. She cannot swallow anything, even saliva. All
her food is in liquid form and must be injected through the tube.
Magdalena’s lone caretaker is her father, 28-year-old Mkama Edward.
They are putting up at a friend’s house in Gongo
la Mboto suburb, hoping a referral from Muhimbili National Hospital to
India for specialised treatment will materialise soon.
The Citizen on Saturday reported Magdalena’s
predicament in March. When she was transferred to Muhimbili, we traced
her to Gongo la Mboto, where the father said he is praying every minute
that the trip succeeds.
“Doctors say that is the only way she can be
treated,” says Mkama, who has had to suspend his business back home to
be with the child. “It is my last hope to have my daughter on her feet
again.”
He was told that, due to patient traffic awaiting
referrals abroad under government sponsorship, their case would probably
be heard in three months’ time. Hundreds others can only dream of the
best medical care for their loved ones.
Doctor Zaituni Bokhary, one of the specialists
treating the girl, told The Citizen on Saturday that they had done
everything they could and referring her to India was the only option
left. “She needs immediate treatment, but the list of patients waiting
for the same services is also long,” she added. “She will go to India
soon. It won’t get to December.”
Magdalena was discharged on August 23 and Sayansi
Kitebo has been magnanimous enough to host them. Mkama adds: “Kitebo is
my childhood friend. We went to school together back in the village. He
is doing us a big favour.
I can’t thank him enough for all his help. I know
the list of patients waiting to go abroad is long, my only prayer is
that the whole process moves fast so we can lessen the huge burden on
our families.” A doctor who did not want to be named told this paper
that the immediate challenge is to ensure the patient eats the right
food before surgery.
“Getting adequate nutrition, sometimes due to cost
implications, is the biggest problem patients using gastrostomy tubes
face,” the medic said. “If that persists, it may give rise to
complications which might worsen the patient’s health.”
Mkama is experiencing this challenge. Magdalena needs Aloe Vera juice that is rich in nutrients.
The problem is that it costs Sh40,000 a litre and
lasts only two weeks. He says: “The last dose ran out three weeks ago
but I don’t have the money to buy another immediately. She is in pain,
and it hurts me to see her suffering.
She will say she is hungry, but when you give her
food she says she is full. Half an hour later, she is hungry again. That
is how we live.”
The family has spent all its savings from his
small business importing goods from Kenya for distribution in Musoma
township. Back home, his wife is taking care of three other children,
including twins who were born just three days before Magdalena drank the
poison.
“The kindergarten management has helped too, but I
receive significant help from my family and the Centre for Women and
Children Assistance,” a local community organisation.
SOURCE: THE CITIZEN
SOURCE: THE CITIZEN
