Doha, Qatar – September 12, 2024

This week, Qatar Charity (QC) carried out catheter-based repairs for congenital heart defects in children, open-heart surgeries, and kidney transplants for needy patients in Yemen. This comes as part of Qatar Charity’s global health interventions.

These efforts were carried out in partnership with the Humanitarian Development Program and the Cardiovascular Center in the Taiz City. A dedicated team of volunteer doctors, both local and international, performed 54 surgeries, with plans to continue more kidney and open-heart surgeries in the coming period.

The first transplant was performed on 62-year-old Qasim Al-Banna. Over the next two months, the project aims to assist 30 patients.

Under its ‘Compassionate Hearts’ initiative, Qatar Charity, in collaboration with its partners, successfully performed 41 catheter-based procedures to repair congenital heart defects in children and young adults, surpassing the target of 30 by 11 surgeries.

In a related effort this week, 12 open-heart surgeries were performed, continuing the first phase of a project that began in Ramadan. To date, 29 surgeries have been completed, with plans to conduct the remaining procedures over the next three weeks, aiming to reach a total of 70 open-heart surgeries by the project’s end.

Professor Abudar Alganadi, director of the Cardiovascular and Kidney Transplant Center in the Taiz city, emphasized the significance of this medical initiative for heart and kidney patients, calling it a vital opportunity and a first in the Taiz Governorate. He highlighted its role in saving lives and alleviating suffering, especially amid Yemen’s ongoing humanitarian crisis. He thanked Qatar Charity and the donors of Qatar for their support and urged for the expansion of such efforts into sustainable projects.

It is worth noting that earlier this year, Qatar Charity, in partnership with Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS), launched the use of the “Azurion 3 F15” cardiac catheterization device at the Cardiovascular and Kidney Transplant Center in Yemen’s Taiz Governorate. This device offers more accurate diagnostics and higher-quality and efficient care.

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