ISRAEL: Iraqi childeren receive medical treatment in Israel

Two Iraqi children arrived on Thursday (October 11) in Israel to receive medical treatment in Wolfson Medical Centre in Holon that might improve if not safe their lives. Around 40 Iraqi children who suffer from several congenital heart defects are waiting for their turn to be operated in Israel as part of the 'Save A Child's Heart' programme. Bringing Iraqis to Israel is very difficult for many reasons, mostly for security ones. The children had to be checked into the 'Save A Child's Heart' clinic in Jordan, and from there the two most urgent cases were taken to Israel within 24 hours. The rest of the children are waiting for their turn to be treated in Israel. The children that were chosen were Kirwan, a 12-year old Iraqi Kurd, as well as five month old infant Tamara. Both are so-called blue babies, children with poor blood flow from the heart to other organs. Blue lips and fingers are a sign of their illness. "The kid is 12 years old from Kurdistan, Iraq. And he suffers from a severe disease which causes blockage of blood flow from his heart to his lungs and as a consequence he is very blue, he is a blue baby since birth; and you can see it by the colour of his lips and fingernails," explained Dr. Leor Sasson, the chief surgeon of 'Save A Child's Heart'. The lives of the two children were saved by the surgery in Israel. The mother of the little girl, Huda, was more than relieved after the ordeal. "We thank God for helping us in such a matter. And now my daughter is good and thank God for this and I am really happy for this," Huda told Reuters. 'Save A Child's Heart' is an Israeli-based organisation that provides children from third world and developing countries with heart surgery and follow-up care. The organisation was established in 1995 and managed to bring more than 1,000 children from various countries into Israel for treatment. More than 100 children from Gaza and the West Bank have been treated. A major part of 'Save A Child's Heart's' mission is its outreach programme to train medical personnel from partner sites in developing countries. Training is not only carried out in Israel. Its outreach programme sends teams of pediatric cardiologists, Intensive Care Units specialists and surgeons to developing countries, where they conduct screening and surgical missions and also provide on-site training. Local medical personnel work with the 'Save A Child's Heart' staff as they examine children -- screening them for candidacy for operations in Israel -- or conduct surgery on-site. 'Save A Child's Heart's' ultimate goal is to create high quality independent medical centers in developing countries. By working with local physicians and health officials in partner countries during annual screening and surgical missions, 'Save A Child's Heart' seeks to ensure a higher level of medical care for children in developing countries throughout the world.

ITN Source | October 15, 2007

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