ADDIS ABABA – Save a Child’s Heart (SACH), an Israeli-based international humanitarian organization, has launched a screening mission for 200 children at the Children’s Heart Fund of Ethiopia (CHFE) and Black Lion Hospital to provide life-saving heart surgeries.
The mission, currently underway in Addis Ababa, aims to identify children suffering from heart disease. Dozens of children have already arrived for screenings at CHFE and Black Lion Hospital.
Israel’s Deputy Ambassador to Ethiopia Tomer Bar-Lavi expressed his gratitude, saying, “It is a privilege to be at Black Lion Hospital and witness the collaboration between Israelis and Ethiopians, both working towards helping children with heart disease.”
Addis Ababa UniversityCollege of Health SciencesChief Executive Director Prof. Andualem Deneke highlighted the ongoing cooperation, stating, “Since signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with SACH last year, we have successfully sent several children to Israel for life-saving heart surgeries. We are eager to expand this and begin sending our doctors to Israel for training, as well as welcoming Israeli medical teams
to our hospital.”
A pediatric cardiologist at SACH Hanita Shai (MD) remarked on the longstanding partnership with Ethiopia, saying, “Ethiopia was the first country SACH helped in 1995. Having worked with Black Lion Hospital in 2019, it’s encouraging to see the progress made, and we look forward to continuing our cooperation and treating more children in Israel.”
CHFE Medical Director Miklol Mengistu (MD) noted, “We have collaborated with SACH for nearly three decades. This year alone, 39 children have been sent to Israel for treatment. We are excited to host an Israeli surgical team and continue this life-saving work.”
One of the success stories, Aklile Bekele, who had heart surgery in Israel 23 years ago, is now a nurse at the CHFE cardiac center. She expressed her gratitude, saying, “I feel blessed to be part of this life-saving collaboration and urge the Israeli government to strengthen this partnership.”
SACH is currently working with four prominent hospitals in Ethiopia: Black Lion Hospital, Children’s Heart Fund of Ethiopia, Jimma University Hospital, and Saint Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College.
BY HAILE DEMEKE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 21 SEPTEMBER 2024
