July 7, 2023 — Launched by Grupo Mitrelli, Fundação Menomadina, Save a Child’s Heart, Côte d’Ivoire Health Ministry and Abidjan Institute of Cardiology; Côte d’Ivoire Minister of Health: “Health-independence is a national strategic priority, and this project is a major step on the road to that vital goal.” ; Taking part in the project: Mitrelli’ s health subsidiary Promed International (Switzerland) and the Sylvan Adams Children’s Hospital (Israel), AFCAO and CHU Nantes (France).
Grupo Mitrelli, the Menomadin Foundation, Save a Child’s Heart, and the Côte d’Ivoire Health Ministry, this week announced an innovative local-capacity-building initiative in Côte d’Ivoire to establish the country’s local capabilities in the field of life-saving paediatric cardiac surgery, and enable the country to become a model for self-sufficiency in this field in the continent.
A iniciativa baseia-se no “Objetivo de Desenvolvimento Sustentável da ONU para promover a saúde e o bem-estar”.
Approximately 1 in every 100 babies born in the world suffers from congenital heart disease (CHD), which are structural heart anomalies that occur during pregnancy when the heart or major blood vessels fail to develop properly. CHD is the most common type of birth defect, but with advanced medical care and treatment, the chances of infants and children fully recovering from CHD and living normal adult lives are better than ever. However, in countries where the necessary treatments are unavailable, CHD is the leading cause of mortality in the first year of life.
De acordo com a OMS (https://apo-opa.info/3O1Ps2F), 2 700 dos 300 000 nascimentos registados anualmente na Costa do Marfim sofrem de cardiopatia congénita. No entanto, a taxa de despistagem destas cardiopatias congénitas é muito baixa (11%).
O objetivo da nova iniciativa é desenvolver um esforço nacional para diagnosticar e tratar um número muito maior de crianças, estabelecendo simultaneamente a independência sanitária da Costa do Marfim em matéria de cirurgia cardíaca pediátrica com conhecimentos e recursos médicos avançados.
No âmbito desta nova parceria, com uma duração prevista de 5 anos, o pessoal médico do Institut de Cardiologie d'Abidjan receberá formação avançada em vários procedimentos relacionados com o coração, ministrada por equipas de cardiologia francesas e israelitas, reforçando assim as suas capacidades profissionais actuais. Durante todo o ano, delegações de cirurgiões deslocar-se-ão à Costa do Marfim para realizar operações em doentes jovens e dar formação às equipas médicas locais. Além disso, as equipas médicas da Costa do Marfim beneficiarão de formação de ponta em Israel em diferentes domínios dos cuidados cardíacos pediátricos.
O projeto servirá a Costa do Marfim como modelo e ponto de referência para a cirurgia cardíaca pediátrica em África - não só reduzindo as taxas de mortalidade, mas também melhorando a qualidade de vida das crianças. Entretanto, os casos mais graves e urgentes serão transferidos para cuidados imediatos em Israel.
O anúncio da iniciativa foi feito numa reunião especial no Ministério da Saúde da Costa do Marfim e incluiu a participação de nove crianças com deficiências cardíacas, com idades compreendidas entre 1 e 13 anos, que se deslocam a Israel nos próximos dias para se submeterem a procedimentos cardíacos que salvam vidas no Sylvan Adams Children's Hospital através da Save a Child's Heart.
In 2020, during the early stages of the project, the foundation, “Children of Africa” under the patronage of First Lady Mrs. Dominique Ouattara, Mitrelli Group, Menomadin Foundation and the NGO “Save a Child’s Heart”, worked together to facilitate successful surgeries in Israel for five children suffering from cardiologic conditions.
Minister of Health of Cote d’Ivoire Mr. Pierre Dimba falou sobre a importância da independência da saúde como estratégia do governo. “Os doentes com defeitos cardíacos necessitam não só de cirurgia mas também de tratamento posterior. O envio de crianças para o estrangeiro para serem operadas é uma bênção, mas não é uma solução a longo prazo. Alcançar a independência em matéria de saúde, especialmente no domínio dos cuidados cardiológicos pediátricos, é uma prioridade estratégica nacional, e este projeto é o primeiro passo no caminho para esse objetivo vital. A nossa visão é deixar de externalizar os nossos cuidados de saúde e, em vez disso, começar a exportar as nossas próprias capacidades para ajudar os outros.”
Acrescentou ainda: “Estamos extremamente satisfeitos com a cooperação com os nossos parceiros e com os tratamentos das nossas crianças no Sylvan Adams Children's Hospital através do Save a Child's Heart e estamos ansiosos por estabelecer este modelo de saúde extremamente importante e estratégico para o nosso país e felizes por vê-lo servir de modelo em toda a África.”
Haim Taib, Founder and President of Mitrelli Group and Menomadin Foundation and President of Save a Child’s Heart Africa said: “This is an incredible opportunity to make a difference in the wellbeing of children and their future through upgrading local capacities and creating sustainable solutions. If 1% of children in the country need heart surgery, philanthropic activity, however blessed, is just a drop in the ocean. In order to create a significant, sustainable and long-term impact, the government must be involved, because only the government has the power to create a long-term solution. This is the Mitrelli model – to build long term sustainable development solutions in cooperation with our local partners in health, agriculture, education, and more, to create real impact. Together with Menomadin’s ability to provide solutions based on national roadmaps and impact management, I am sure that Cote d’Ivoire will be a model for additional countries. We are extremely encouraged by Cote d’Ivoire leadership – the president and health minister – and their commitment to building a self-sufficient model to treat children, and proud to be working with such special partners.”
Eva Peled, Mitrelli’s Partner in Côte d’Ivoire stated: “We have been working with the government of Côte d’Ivoire and its ministry of health for several years. We discovered a wonderful country with many hidden gems, among which is the Abidjan Institute of Cardiology (ICA). The ambitious vision of His Excellency Alassane Ouattara, President of Côte d’Ivoire, has made the health sector a priority for the nation’s citizens. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Patrick Achi and the guidance of the Minister of Health Pierre Dimba, we are honored and proud to join forces in this humane initiative, which reflects our shared beliefs and values. We believe that Côte d’Ivoire will not only become a point of reference for cardiac surgeries, but for many other sectors in Africa.”
Professor Mohamed Ly, cardiac surgeon, and President of the AFCOA, added: “This extraordinary partnership signifies a monumental step towards providing essential surgical care and empowering local teams, ensuring a brighter future for children who currently lack access to these critical services.”
Simon Fisher, Executive Director of Save a Child’s Heart: “We are very grateful to the Mitrelli Group and the Menomadin Foundation for their partnership and for initiating the expansion to Cote d’Ivoire of Save a Child’s Heart activities.
The arrival of the group of nine children in Israel for lifesaving treatment at the Sylvan Adams Children’s Hospital is a major step in the implementation of this strategic initiative in partnership with the Côte d’Ivoire Health Ministry and the Institut de Cardiologie d’Abidjan. This group of children, and future groups to be treated in Israel, will complement the capacity building efforts in Côte d’Ivoire led by the Association Française du Coeur pour l’Afrique de l’Ouest (AFCAO) and the Centre Hospitalier international project that will lead to Côte d’Ivoire to becoming self-sustainable in Paediatric Cardiac Care and a Regional leader in the field.”