Cardiology

​HUH received a request from the authorities of BLH to help build a Cardiac Surgery Program at BLH through training of and education for local personnel.

Ethiopia has a population of 92 million people, and nowhere in the country do they perform heart surgery. There is a major need for surgery for children (<18 years) with congenital abnormalities, and valvular due to rheumatic fever. For now, heart surgery is only performed when foreign healthcare professionals travel for short-term missions to Cardiac Center, a private establishment located on BLH premises.

In March 2016 a team of heart surgeons, cardiologists, anesthesiologists, perfusionists, OR-nurses, anesthetists-nurses, ICU-nurses and ward nurses, went on a two-week mission to Ethiopia. They performed 12 heart surgeries and 30 pacemaker operations while they were there. A private donor from Bergen supported the mission with one million NOK to purchase the necessary equipment to ensure safe and proper operations. The project is also financed with funding from HUH, and is in close collaboration with The University Hospital in Linköping and the Ethiopian Embassy in Stockholm.

The team will continue performing heart surgery while they are present at BLH, but will focus on establishing a Cardiac Surgery Program to recruit more cardiac surgeons and specialized nurses. The program will also benefit personnel from HUH in further developing their professional skills.