Family of 2-year-old with heart disease turns to home oxygen cylinder after huge hospital bills

Having realized that they spent a lot of money to put their daughter on oxygen support, the parents of the girl have opted to buy an oxygen cylinder for use at home.

Ambrose Ochieng, the father of the girl said with the support of the well-wishers they have been able to buy the oxygen plus other necessary equipment at a cost of Ksh.100,000.

Ochieng said their daughter needs support when her oxygen level goes down. A medic always visits them to assess the child's progress.

Ochieng says having the oxygen supply at home is much cheaper than getting it from hospital everytime their daughter requires it.

Ochieng who worked as a casual worker at Migori county government for ten years before being retrenched said he has sold all his property to save the life of her daughter.

The family still requires Ksh.1.2 million for a heart surgery that doctors say will be a permanent solution to the girl's condition. 

The child’s mother Truphena Ambrose, a trained nurse, has been the one monitoring her while on oxygen support.

Truphena said the journey to seek treatment has been rough and the family is not able to raise the Ksh.1.2 M needed for the heart surgery.

According to the World Heart Federation, cardiovascular diseases kill 17.5 million people each year globally.

In Kenya, it is estimated that 25 percent of hospitals admissions are due to cardiovascular conditions.