Around twenty children suffering from heart defects were welcomed to the Diamant Medical Center in Lubumbashi for the fourth free pediatric cardiac surgery campaign. This initiative, which began on Monday September 11, mobilizes American experts as well as Congolese medical personnel to carry out these delicate operations.
Among these children is a baby less than a week old, causing some concern among his mother. Dr Norine Karim explains that the newborn suffers from an absence of a right heart ventricle, which prevents blood from being properly routed to the lungs. Surgical intervention is therefore necessary to remedy this situation.
Another mother, whose son Raphael is four years old, expresses her fear but remains hopeful thanks to the explanations provided by the doctors. These children, coming from different regions of the country, will benefit from vital care which will allow them to live a normal life.
It is important to emphasize that many children in the Democratic Republic of Congo suffer from heart defects, requiring specialized care. The head of the Diamant Medical Center appeals for the involvement of the State to save these fragile lives.
The provincial Minister of Health, Joseph Sambi Bulanda, reassures about this concern by affirming that measures will have to be taken at the national level to finance this type of project and ensure care on a large scale.
This pediatric cardiac surgery campaign has already successfully operated on 51 children over the past 11 months. These operations offer a new chance at life to these young patients, who will now be able to grow up in good health.