By Benedict Tembo
THIRTY-TWO Zambian children have received treatment at the Save A Child’s Heart (SACH)’s Edith Wolfson Medical Centre near Tel Aviv, Israel.
The 32 children bring the cumulative number to 112 since SACH, an Israeli-based international non-profit organisation with the mission of improving the quality of pediatric cardiac care signed the first Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Health in 2016.
SACH Executive Director Simon Fisher said apart from the 32, they are expecting at least another 20 children from Zambia before the end of 2024.
Apart from treating children, SACH has also been training Zambian medics in pediatric cardiac surgery.
“We have two fellows with us at present training on pediatric cardiac surgery and pediatric intensive care. We are expecting a third fellow in anaesthesia,” Mr Fisher said
One medical professional, a pediatric cardiac surgeon, one anesthesiologist and one perfusionist have been trained in Israel.
Ziwa Mudaniso, a Zambian medic has been back at the National Heart Hospital for just over a year with two fellows who trained with him in Israel one in cardiac anaesthesia and the other heart lung machine technician.
“We’ve also financed 7 nurses who went for training in Tanzania at Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute and four more travel this month. We also financed travel for Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute team to come and work with National Heart Hospital team in January. This week, we are funding a joint Italian and Tanzanian team who are operating and catheterising children at NHH together with the NHH team,” Mr Fisher said.
The NHH is Zambia’s designated cardiac hospital.
He said the SACH has also paid for their flights and consumables for catheterising.
“We have also purchased a $100,000 echocardiogram machine for NHH which we will deliver in the near future,” Mr Fisher said.
Partnership with the University Teaching Hospital and the NHH is part of the SACH’s south to south cooperation.
It also has a similar cooperation with Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute.
