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Dubai to expand heart surgery initiative

Dubai, January 30, 2013

 

The ‘Nabadat’ initiative, launched in 2007 in the UAE, to provide free heart surgeries for children with congenital disease, will now expand its services across the globe.
 
This decision was announced at the Arab Health Congress which is currently taking place in Dubai.
Nabadat, which means heartbeat, is an initiative launched by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and Mohammed bin Rashid Charity and Humanitarian Establishment, to provide free medical assistance, surgery and post-surgical care to children whose parents cannot afford to pay for treatment of congenital heart diseases. 
 
The DHA sponsors the treatment for Emiratis and the Mohammed bin Rashid Charity and Humanitarian Establishment sponsors treatment for expatriate patients. 
 
More than 300 children (newborns to 19 year olds) with congenital heart diseases have been treated since its launch in 2007.

Taking this initiative forward, is a team of surgeons and specialists from the Dubai Health Authority  who are  planning to travel  to countries like  Bangladesh, Egypt, Sudan, Syria and Yemen to treat children with congenital diseases.
 
Dr Obaid Al Jassim, head of cardiothoracic surgery, Dubai Hospital, said: “We are presently in talks with hospitals in these countries to ensure there is good infrastructure and a team of qualified doctors who can assist patients with follow-up care. By April, we will have more information and our travel plans will be clearer. But the aim of the project is to reach out to as many children in need of these surgeries as possible and help provide them a new lease of life. We have seen the growth of the Nadabat project and therefore this is a logical extension of this initiative.”
 
He added that in addition to conducting surgeries for children in these countries, they will also carry out screening program. “Early detection is crucial for treating any disease especially chronic conditions such as congenital heart problems. Early detection is directly related to improved patient outcomes and therefore we will carry out screening programs in government schools in these countries to test children for cardio myopathy.”
 
Presently, a one-week workshop  is taking place at the hospital with cardiologists from DHA and  a team of surgeons from Italy, who are conducting surgeries and catherization procedures for children with congenital heart defects.
 
Dr Obaid said that so far 11 such workshops have been held with experts from Italy and Sweden to provide high-quality cardiac treatment to these children.
 
The treatment is open to both Emirati and expatriate patients. 
 
The DHA team of cardiologists and cardiac surgeons who performed these surgeries, include, Dr Obaid Al Jassim, Dr Ahmed Al Kamali, Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist at Dubai Hospital, Dr Shahraban Abdullah Al Shari, Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist at Latifa Hospital and Dr Sameer Sajwai, Paediatric Cardiac Specialist at Dubai Hospital.
 
Those interested in enquiring about the next workshop for free heart surgeries may contact Dubai Hospital on 00974 219 5000. – TradeArabia News Service
 



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