Golfers from the Uganda Golf Club Friday raised a sum of Sh. 50million through the Hope Ward Initiative Tournament organized by the International Medical Foundation (IMF), aimed at offering medical treatment and surgery to newborns with birth defects.
The tournament saw teams participating in the fundraising drive where the overall winners were the Pacific Diagnostic headed by Lt. Gen. Ivan Koreta.
IMF Council chairperson, Dr. Ian Clerk told the media during the fundraising drive at Golf Club on Friday that The Hope Ward Initiative which is under IMF was started in 2016 with the aim of alleviating the pain and suffering of the less advantaged through provision of complex medical care and surgery.
“The money raised tonight is to primarily help where we can, needy children; last year we did a number of cases with pediatrics from Mulago hospital for kids which had Esophageal atresia, a defect that occurs when the food pipe doesn’t join to the stomach and if not fixed, the child dies within a few days,” noted Dr. Ian.
“These are the kind of cases that we want to do and the International Hospital Kampala (IHK) has good Pediatric intensive care which facilities we can use to help in such cases.”
“Also IMF does a lot of work in the slum areas in terms of offering HIV Counseling, treating and detecting TB, counseling on reproductive health and Cancer treatment.”
Dr. Ian added that a total of five babies have so far benefited since money was raised last year, one of who was born without the anus.
“Shantal underwent an intensive operation which was successful, she is now living a normal life,” said her joyous mother only known as Sophie while appreciating Hope Ward Initiative.