Houston physicians perform free open heart surgeries in Bolivia
Houston - A team of 13 medical professionals from Texas Children's Hospital in Houston returns from the HeartGift's 15th annual mission to Bolivia this weekend. On this mission, they performed life-saving surgeries on children with congenital heart defects (CHD).
This group is part of a larger team of 30 volunteers, organized and fully funded by HeartGift, a non-profit organization.
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HeartGift says this initiative arose from countries like Bolivia's lack of specialized pediatric cardiac care, leaving over a million babies born with CHD at risk. Meanwhile, industrialized nations provide affordable corrective surgery to all citizens regardless of their financial standing or location.
HeartGift orchestrated a critical medical mission to bridge this healthcare gap at Clinica Incor in Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
"The children HeartGift cares for are very ill, but their hearts are restored with just one surgery. They now have a lifetime of hope and opportunity ahead of them. We are proud to partner with the many talented medical professionals and Clinica Incor to bring these much-needed surgeries to Bolivia's children," said Christy Casey-Moore, HeartGift's Chief Executive Officer.
HeartGift, founded in 2000, has provided life-saving heart surgeries to more than 800 children from 35 countries free of charge.
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Over ten days beginning August 31st, the HeartGift team conducted 25 open-heart surgeries on Bolivian children aged three months to 13 years. This offers them hope and a chance at a healthier life.
The medical team is comprised of surgeons, cardiologists, anesthesiologists, ICU nurses, surgical scrub nurses, respiratory therapists, and one biomedical equipment specialist.
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Medical professionals from the Houston area, including Asten Agnew, a BSN, RN at Children's Hospital; Basheer Ahmed, MD, a Cardiac Intensivist at Children's Hospital; Rahul G. Baijal, MD, a Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiologist at Children's Hospital, and Saul Flores, MD, also a Cardiac Intensivist at Texas Children's Hospital, all participated in this mission trip to provide specialized pediatric cardiac care and collaborate with local medical personnel in Bolivia.
Experts have also been recruited from Kansas City, Washington DC, Miami, and Pennsylvania.