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EMERGENCY USA provides support to projects that offer free, high quality medical and surgical treatment for the victims of war and poverty.

Emergency

News from the Field

Democratic Republic of the Congo:
An EMERGENCY team in the hospitals of the capital city

A Growing Network

A mission is in the works in Kinshasa to set up follow-up care for patients who have undergone surgery at the Salam Centre for Cardiac Surgery in Khartoum, Sudan and to perform cardiac screenings on new patients, as well as to begin defining the terms of participation in the Regional Program of Cardiac Surgery.

We first met Dida in December 2006, during our first cardiac screening mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 32-year-old Dida was among the first non-Sudanese patients to undergo surgery at the Salam Centre for Cardiac Surgery in Khartoum because she needed a new mitral valve. Now, we see her again at the diocesan hospital of St. Joseph, one of the hospitals hosting the screening missions carried out by EMERGENCY cardiologists in Kinshasa. Doctor Josephine says that the patient is doing well, and that she comes to all her appointments for monitoring of the anticoagulant which she will be taking for the rest of her life.

Debora, our tiny but energetic cardiologist confirmed that 10 months after surgery, Dida's heart works perfectly. We would have guessed as much judging by the radiant smile she gave us when we arrived at the hospital. She still needs to resolve some practical problems - not having a job, for one thing - but she can now face life with renewed energy. And, she can finally play with her 8-year-old little girl.

Along with Dida, our cardiologist visited the other five Congolese patients who have undergone surgery at the Salam Centre, and found them all to be in good condition. We gave them the medication they would need for the next six months. We brought it with us from Khartoum because it is extremely expensive in Kinshasa. When we had to buy medications there due to required treatment changes for a couple of patients, we spent over $200 for a 2-month supply.

New patients to be transferred to the Salam Centre - A partnership to be expanded

Debora has also been devoted to the screening of new patients at St. Joseph's hospital and at the hospital of Monkole, in the hills surrounding Kinshasa. Cooperation with local doctors, Dr. Josephine and Dr. René, proved invaluable in ascertaining the medical history of patients and ensuring proper communication. Out of 36 screened patients, one third require surgery. However, all diagnoses will be considered by the Salam Centre team. The first patients to undergo surgery will be transferred in autumn.

During our visit we began to define the terms of a formal agreement with the Department of Health for the participation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the Regional Program for Cardiac Surgery. In the meanwhile, the Minister of Health and the Secretary General expressed their most sincere satisfaction regarding cooperation with EMERGENCY, and put forward a new and challenging request - to extend the mission of screenings to other regions of this vast country. In Congo the needs are enormous and largely neglected, and not just in terms of cardiac surgery.

ROSSELLA MICCIO
Translated by Giorgio Bonafede