Long Term Medical Support and Growth Hormone Treatment for Children

In 2005 shortly after the tsunami, Dr. Martina Fuchs, met Madumekala, an adolescent girl suffering from panhypopituitarism; at age 11, Madu was the height of a three year old. In an unsupported gesture of compassion, Dr. Fuchs chose to fund Madu’s treatment for growth hormone therapy through Ruhuna Medical College. Over the next two years as the program expanded to care for 5 children suffering from similar conditions, it was impossible to predict that this one act of compassion would initiate a country wide program to identify over 40 more children suffering from this type of congenital disorder and move a pharmaceutical distributor, A. Baurs Inc. LTD to negotiate with Serono, the manufacturer of the drug, the lowest price for growth hormone available in the global market today.

Our Children’s Long Term Medical Treatment and Growth Hormone Project continues into 2011 with 5 children being treated to promote normal levels of growth and weight for their age and any other serious medical issues that are brought to our attention. Each month the families are seen by Prof. Sujeewa Amarasena, Head of the Department of Pediatrics at the Karapitya Teaching Hospital in Galle, Sri Lanka. Real Medicine continues to provide food parcels and contribute to each family’s travel expenses incurred in visiting the hospital for the children’s treatment.