May 30 – June 2, 2021
Save a Child’s Heart Director, Simon Fisher, accompanied by Save a Child’s Heart doctors, Dr. Sagi Assa, Senior Pediatric Cardiologist & Head of the Interventional Pediatric Cardiology Unit, and Dr. Hagi Dekel, Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery, joined the Menomadin Foundation and the Mitrelli Group on a reconnaissance tour to the Ivory Coast, visiting two hospitals - the Abidjan Cardiac Center at the University Hospital and Ivory Coast Mothers and Children to discuss partnership opportunities this week.
On June 2, the delegation also gathered together with five recent patients and one 34-year-old adult who was treated in Israel 17 years ago at the Israeli Embassy in Abidjan to celebrate the continuation of Save a Child's Heart's life-saving activities in the country.
The same afternoon the delegation met with the directors of the two aforementioned hospitals and the Minister of Health to present its findings and to make recommendations for the continuation of the program to bring more children to Israel, to provide training for Ivorian medical professionals in all aspects of pediatric cardiac care and to send medical delegations to treat local children on an annual basis.
We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Mitrelli Group and Menomadin Foundation in conjunction with local partners on the ground to help raise the level of access to pediatric cardiac care for children from the Ivory Coast.
Thank you Haim Taib, President of SACH Africa, for making this trip possible. Thank you to our friends at the Israeli Embassy in Abidjan as well as those at MASHAV for your support and cooperation.
The doctors, the nurses, the medical staff are all kind, welcoming, and caring, and the least we can do is thank them all and pray to God for this organization to carry on with its activities. SACH is hope for us, the Ivorians, because it means that this organization can and will save children’s hearts and allow them to live a longer and better life, hopefully. - Mama Aaron
