Addis Ababa: Save a Child’s Heart (SACH), an Israeli humanitarian organization, is conducting an extensive screening mission in Addis Ababa, highlighting the strong medical cooperation between Israel and Ethiopia.
Israeli Ambassador-Designate to Ethiopia, Dr. Avraham Neguise, visited the screening at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, meeting with cardiologists and former patients who had surgeries in Israel. Up lift mothers of the children with heart condition.
Deputy Executive Director of SACH, Riki Rosenbaum, said that the team is screening around 200 children at the Cardiac Center and Black Lion Hospital.
This screening is part of a broader initiative involving four Israeli medical delegations visiting Ethiopia this week.
Besides SACH, delegations include Neonatologists for Africa (NFA), Operation Ethiopia focusing on ophthalmology, and a team from Sheba Medical Center specializing in pediatrics, neonatology, and orthopedics, it was learned.
According to Tomer Bar-Lavi, Deputy Ambassador of Israel i
n Ethiopia, Israeli-Ethiopian Medical Cooperation is flourishing.
The longstanding medical cooperation between Israel and Ethiopia is reaching new heights, as demonstrated by the current screening mission of Save a Child’s Heart (SACH) and other Israeli medical delegations in Addis Ababa, he said.
SACH has a long-standing relationship with Ethiopia. Since its founding nearly 30 years ago, SACH has saved more than 900 children from Ethiopia.
The impact of SACH’s work is exemplified by Aklile Bekele, a nurse at the Children’s Heart Fund of Ethiopia and a former SACH patient herself.
Treated 23 years ago for complex heart defects, Aklile now works in cardiac surgery and assists in escorting young patients to Israel for treatment.
“It’s not just treating the patients and then leaving them. They follow up even after 23 years,” Aklile shared, highlighting the organization’s long-term commitment.
Rosenbaum emphasized the joy of seeing former patients thriving. “The most exciting part is seeing our patients bec
oming valuable members of society in their country,” she said.
While the exact number of children who will receive treatment in Israel from this mission is yet to be determined, a significant number are expected to travel for surgeries and catheterizations.
This ongoing collaboration between Israeli medical organizations and Ethiopian institutions continues to provide vital healthcare services and training, strengthening the medical capabilities in Ethiopia and saving lives of children with heart conditions.
“It was a privilege to spend the day at the Black Lion Hospital and observe the cooperation between Israelis and Ethiopians that share the same desire to help children suffering from heart disease,” he stated.
Prof. Andualem Deneke, Chief Executive Director of College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University – Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, highlighted the progress made since signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with SACH last year.
“We have been able to send several children to Israel
for life-saving heart surgery. We look forward to increasing the number of children we can send and to begin sending our doctors for training in Israel and welcoming Israeli medical teams to our hospital,” he said.
This relationship has been there for many years, and it is growing from time to time, he stated expressing hope for expanding the partnership to other areas of healthcare.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency