Nairobi Hospital hosts golf tourney, in support of children with Congenital Heart Diseases - Citizen Digital

Participants at the Nairobi Hospital Charity Golf held at the Karen Golf Club on Saturday.

The Nairobi Hospital hosted the Children’s Charity Heart Fund Golf Tournament at the Karen Country Club to raise funds and awareness for children living with congenital heart disease (CHD).

Held under the theme “Giving Little Hearts Big Dreams,” the annual tournament is also aimed at driving community action around the urgent need for accessible pediatric heart care in Kenya.

The Children’s Charity Heart Fund has enabled over 400 children, aged 0 to 12, to receive free, life-saving heart surgeries. Many of these children are now healthy thanks to the intervention of medical teams and the generosity of donors and partners.

Speaking after the event, the Nairobi Hospital CEO Felix Osano emphasized the importance of continued support from partners in developing sustainable structures for equitable healthcare.

“It is a privilege to have a high number of corporate partners on board for this tournament. The growth of this charity event over the years has opened up multiple opportunities to reach more underserved communities and drive the country’s sustainable healthcare agenda. It is through these partnerships that we have been able to expand access to cardiac diagnosis and treatment  within the country and give renewed hope to children with heart diseases. I encourage more corporates and partners to join us in this noble course towards building resilient and healthy societies.”

According to the World Health Organization, over 5,000 children in Kenya require heart surgery for congenital defects each year. However, only 120 to 150 open-heart surgeries are performed locally, with an additional 50 to 100 children receiving treatment abroad. The situation is made more challenging by a severe shortage of pediatric heart specialists, with fewer than 15 pediatric cardiologists nationwide and only two hospitals equipped to perform pediatric open-heart surgery.

Each year, thousands of children are born with undetected health conditions, many of which are life-threatening. Although CHD is the world’s most common birth defect, affecting 1 in every 100 live births, it remains widely unknown, particularly in low and middle-income countries like Kenya. Notably, a single open surgery can cost up to KES2.5 million, far beyond the reach of most families. 

Speaking at the event, Dr. Barcley Onyambu, the Board Chairperson, emphasized the importance of equitable access to medical care for children who have serious conditions such as heart diseases as this is crucial in securing the country’s future generation.

“Advancing the medical field and making it possible for children to  equitably access medical care for serious conditions such as heart diseases is a key part of our institutional objectives. Over the years, we have partnered with like-minded corporate entities to drive sustainable and equitable healthcare initiatives. This has made it possible to access and impact underserved communities across the country,” said Dr Onyambu.

This year’s tournament builds on past momentum by mobilizing corporate sponsors, individual donors, professional golfers, and the community at large. All proceeds will go directly to the Heart Fund, helping even more children access critical diagnosis, care, and treatment.