Shamila’s story
Shamila is a 4-year old little girl coming from Badakhshan province, in the north of Afghanistan.
Shamila was suffering from a congenital heart disease called “Tetralogy of Fallot” that can’t be treated in Afghanistan except at the French Medical Institute for Mothers & Children (FMIC) of Kabul.
Her family couldn’t afford the $4,000 costs of the open-heart surgery and was therefore referred to the Children’s Pavilion of La Chaîne de l’Espoir located on the compound of the FMIC in Kabul.
After a long road trip from Badakhshan to Kabul, Shamila finally reached her destination with her relatives. She was admitted to the Pavilion under the “Health Action Plan for Afghanistan” (HAPA) programme.
The Aga Khan Development Network’s (AKDN) five-year Health Action Plan for Afghanistan (HAPA) aims to improve the health status of people in selected provinces of Afghanistan (Badakhshan, Bamyan and Baghlan), particularly children under five. HAPA programmes are funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC), the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and the Aga Khan Foundation Canada
Thanks to the HAPA funds, more than 700 children in need of cardiac, orthopaedic and other surgeries will be treated through the Children’s Pavilion programme of La Chaîne de l’Espoir within 5 years.
All the beneficiaries’ medical expenses (surgery, medicines, follow-up consultations) and social expenses (transport, accommodation at the Pavilion including for relatives) will be covered.
Shamila’s operation was successfully performed by Dr. Najeebullah Bina, Cardiac Surgeon from La Chaîne de l’Espoir. She went back home a few days after the intervention, completely healed.
Shamila came back to FMIC last month for her follow-up consultation and everything was normal.
Her parents and six siblings are all happy to see her healthy and out of danger.
