Paediatric cardiac catheterisation, a minimally invasive procedure used to diagnose and treat various heart defects among children, is saving many young lives in Rwanda. Currently offered by Israeli doctors who visit the country on an annual basis, the treatment can address various conditions including valve defects that hinder proper control of blood flow from the heart to the lungs, as well as defective openings between the two major blood vessels leading from the heart. ALSO READ: Guide to a healthy heart: Understanding Coronary Artery Disease This week alone, a team of doctors from Israel under Save a Child’s Heart (SACH), working together with their Rwandan counterparts, carried out cardiac catheterisation procedures for 24 children at King Faisal Hospital in Kigali. The development takes the number of Rwandan youngsters who have benefited from such procedures to about 200 in total. SACH is an Israeli-based international non-profit organisation with the mission of improving the quality of pediatric cardiac care across the world. In 2023, the government of Rwanda signed a five-year memorandum of understanding with SACH to extend the provision of paediatric cardiac care. Dr. Sagi Assa, the head of the Israeli medical team, talked about the safety and advantages of cardiac catheterisation, noting that it has less risks compared to the open heart surgeries. “I always tell people that it's like a miracle. Unlike surgery where you need a long time to heal – the scar, the pain, in the Cath Lab it's like magic. They go in sick, they go out healthy,” he said. “But don't forget we work inside the heart and there could be many, many complications like in surgery, but relative, our procedures are very safe,” he added. Alongside with his team, Dr. Assa performed the operations alongside Rwandan medic and trainee, Dr. Gerard Misago, who is currently studying to specialise in Interventional Cardiology. ALSO READ: Unmasking rheumatic heart disease In an interview, Misago told the media that heart conditions are fairly prevalent among children in Rwanda, and there is a need to have capabilities in place to respond to them whenever noticed. “Many children with such conditions have many chances of recovery, but sometimes, due to lack of capabilities to treat them, some end up dying, he said. He noted that he decided to embark on further studies of minimally invasive cardiac surgeries, and expects to play a key role in saving lives in the country. He expects to complete his studies in about two years. Aline Uwizeyimana, a Gisagara-based mother whose four and a half years old child benefited from cardiac catheterisation, says getting the treatment for her baby was so relieving and delightful. Her counterpart Yasina Nyiransengimana, a mother from Kimironko, Kigali, had the same feeling. “I am so, so glad I don't have the words. My child will no longer be falling sick every now and then, and will grow well,” she noted. Simon Fisher, the Executive Director of SACH, says he believes Rwandans will start to carry out such procedures by themselves in a couple of years. “We are at the advanced stages of training an intervention paediatric cardiologist for King Faisal Hospital. We believe within another two years, there should be a full-fledged paediatric team here, able to do the work in the Cath lab based on Rwandan team force,” he noted. ALSO READ: How five added hospitals will impact cancer care in Rwanda The New Times understands that besides Dr. Misago who is being trained in Israel, there is another doctor being trained in the same specialty in Sweden. Besides carrying out surgeries, SACH has also been assisting with the procurement of medical equipment including an advanced echocardiography machine to strengthen the KFH's capabilities along with supplies to treat up to 100 surgical cases locally through 2023-2024.
