The Shen Yano and Shen Yuet Foundation have promised to cover 25 patients' surgeries each year at the Cardiothoracic Center of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra for the next 10 years, providing hope for the nation's hole-in-heart sufferers.
A memorandum of agreement between the foundation and KBTH states that for the next 10 years, about 25 patients with holes in their hearts will have completely supported surgery every year.
According to statistics, one newborn has a heart or chest issue. Children's heart and chest issues can be brought on by a variety of factors, including smoking, heavy drinking, prolonged exposure to X-rays, and bad dietary habits by pregnant mothers.
The other factors include the use of medications without a prescription and some expecting women's refusal to attend prenatal care.
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Heart surgery in Ghana typically costs between $6,000 and $13,000.
Many patients are left to wait on the generosity of people and organizations since the expense of heart surgery is out of the grasp of the majority of Ghanaians. In other circumstances, patients pass away before care would come.
However, patients who lack the resources to have surgery can now seek help from the Shen Yano and Shen Yuet Foundation, giving them hope at least for the next ten years.
The foundation is named for Shen Yano, a 17-year-old who survived a hole in the heart and is the son of Chinese businessman Shen Chang, who founded and serves as chairman of the Sunda and Keda group of enterprises, which has been operating in Ghana for about 20 years and employs over 7,000 Ghanaians.
When businessman Herbert Mensah suggested to him the idea of lending a hand to patients in need at the Cardiothoracic Centre at Korle Bu, he gladly accepted the call because he was aware of the challenges his son went through and the effect it had on his family after being diagnosed with hole-in-heart at six months old.
"As an investor in this nation for the last 19 years, I regard myself as a part of the Ghana story, therefore when Herbert Mensah offered the concept to me, I just embraced it because as a father, it is an honor and a duty to lend a hand in this very important exercise.
We will do it for the next 10 years, pay for the expense of the operation for the patients, and continue to mobilize resources for this noble cause, he added. "I have been in such a scenario previously when my eldest son was diagnosed with the condition, and today he is recovered and doing well.
Shen Yano, 17, considers it an honor to represent the foundation, and he pledges to publicize the work of the National Cardiothoracic Centre in China to raise more money for those in need of treatment there.
"I'm delighted to be doing this because having come through what was a life-or-death situation and also looking at Ghanaian children whose parents cannot afford the expense of treatment, I will continue to make sure the foundation can perform its work as promised," she said.
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