In Zambia, Israeli team helps train country’s first generation of pediatric cardiac surgeons

An Israeli medical team from Save a Child’s Heart (SACH) at Wolfson Medical Center recently completed a week-long mission in Lusaka, Zambia, where they performed 10 pediatric open-heart surgeries and mentored local medical staff. This initiative is part of a $3 million cooperative program between SACH and Zambia, which began in 2007, aimed at developing the country's pediatric cardiac care capabilities. During the mission, a new $200,000 LivaNova S-5 heart-lung machine, donated by the American Jewish Committee and the Bergman Family Charitable Foundation, was unveiled, marking the second such machine in Zambia.

• The mission focused on training Zambian doctors, including Dr. Zakias Moonde Muulu, who is completing a six-year SACH fellowship in Israel and will be Zambia's second pediatric heart surgeon upon his return.
• Dr. Hagi Dekel, a pediatric cardiac surgeon from Wolfson Medical Center, emphasized that the primary goal is "to train the personnel, to strengthen the doctors on the ground, and to build their self-esteem and confidence."
• SACH, an Israeli humanitarian organization, has treated nearly 8,500 children from 75 countries and provides fellowship training for medical professionals, mainly from Africa, to establish advanced cardiac services in their home countries.
• Israel's ambassador to Zambia, Ofra Farhi, stated, "This combination of the surgical mission and the unveiling of the new heart-lung machine demonstrates our long-term commitment to strengthening Zambia’s healthcare system through training, technology, and partnership."