Operation gives boy, 10, second chance

JASON Yamba Peter, 10, is one of the lucky ones – a free heart surgery at the Port Moresby General Hospital.
It is unfortunate that he had a condition that required such a high-risk surgery but he was lucky that his parents or guardians did not have to fork out tens of thousands of kina for to have the operation.
Peter is the second of four children who had open heart surgery under the country’s leading heart specialist Dr Noah Tapaua and his team, with the help of Australian surgeons over the past few days.
His operation was carried out on Sunday.
Twelve children, between the ages three and 10 with congenital heart defects, are scheduled to have surgery this week.
These children travelled from Alotau, Popondetta, Lae, Goroka, Buka, Mt Hagen and Mendi. The others are from Port Moresby.
Peter’s father, Peter Saina, from Kagua in Southern Highlands, was delighted to see his son recovering so well.
He was grateful to the doctors and nurses of Operation Open Heart for giving his son a second chance.
Operation Open Heart began last Saturday and ends on Sunday