In 2000, the PCRF, the Palestinian Ministry of Health and the University of Gent in Belgium signed an agreement to send Palestinian babies with congenital heart disease to Belgium for lifesaving open-heart surgery that is not available in Palestine. The program was established under the supervision of Professor Guido Van Nooten, who has led four surgery teams to Palestine through the PCRF, as well as trips to Iraq and Lebanon, and surgeon Katrien Francois.

Two Babies Sent from Gaza to Belgium for Life-Saving Heart Surgery
In April, the PCRF sent Samia Hamad, 2 years old from Deir El Balah and Mohammed Tibani, 5 years from the Maghazi Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip to the University of Gent in Belgium for life-saving open-heart surgery. Both children went with their mothers and a part of a three-way ongoing PCRF project with the Belgians and the Palestinian Ministry of Health to send children with complex heart disease to Gent for surgery that they cannot get in Gaza. Dozens of children have already been sent from Palestine to Belgium over the past few years for open-heart surgery, and the Belgians also have been coming to Palestine to diagnose and treat patients through the PCRF for 5 years.

The PCRF Sends Two More Babies to the University of Gent
In October, the PCRF continued to send sick Palestinian children with heart disease to the University of Gent in Belgium for surgery that is not available to them locally. Fatima Al Zaanin, 2 years, and Amira Al Daka, 3 years, both had surgery in Belgium through the PCRF in late September, returning to Gaza with their mothers at the end of October. They were the 11th and 12th children sent by the PCRF to Gent in 2002 for open-heart surgery.

More Sick Babies Get Life-Saving Treatment in Belgium in 2002
In the first quarter of 2002, the PCRF continued its nearly two-year program with the Ministry of Health and the University of Gent in Belgium to send sick babies for life saving open-heart surgery. In 2001, nearly two-dozen babies had surgery there. In 2002, the PCRF has already sent several babies with their mothers to Belgium, including Dina Abu Ledba, 2 years, and Abdullah Abu Amro, 6 months, from Gaza, who went in January. In February, the PCRF helped to send two Iraqi babies to Gent for surgery, as well as Tamara Alol, a 3 year old baby from Jordan. In March, Abdulkareem Ghaban, 17 months, and Ghada Takkoona, 20 months, both from Gaza, arrived in Gent for surgery. The Israelis had delayed their travel from Gaza in early March, but consistent efforts by the PCRF in Gaza to get them permission to travel finally succeeded. See list of Children Treated in 2002

Sick Iraqi Babies Have Life-Saving Surgery in Gent in September 2001
The PCRF sent several children from Iraq to the University of Gent for life-saving open-heart surgery. Working with the Jafar family of Baghdad and Sharjah, we were able to help several sick children. These children were: Noor Adlam Khadim, 4 years; Faisal Mohammed, 5 years; Mohammed Mawlood, 7 months; Murtadtah Raheem, 11 months; and Hawra Eidan, 10 months.

Palestinian Babies Have Lifesaving Surgery in Belgium in 2001
In 2001, The PCRF continued to work with the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Palestine, as well as the University of Gent in Belgium, to save the lives of babies born with heart disease. As part of our "Healing Hearts" Campaign, we are continuing to save the lives of children dying from heart disease, which cannot be treated locally. Here is a list of children treated:

Name	Age	Residence	Diagnosis	Date
Ghadeer Toukan	2 mo.	Beit Lahia/Gaza	large VSD	February 2001
Amani Humaid	7 yrs.	Gaza City	Sub VSD	February 2001
Nafezah Al Kom	12 yrs.	Dura/Hebron	TOF	March 2001
Obedah Sowafti	7 yrs.	Toubas/Jenin	AS Supra	March 2001
Suzan Atrout	4 yrs.	El-Bireh/Ramallah	large VSD	April 2001
Ammar Amarny	6 yrs.	Yabat/Jenin	TOF	April 2001
Ragheda Jneidi	8 yrs.	Hebron	TOF	July 2001
Yousef Mohammed Yousef	6 mo.	Beit Sira/Ramallah	AVS	July 2001
Sajidah Badran	9 yrs.	Ramallah	Congenital	July 2001
Salsabeel Mahboub	5 yrs.	Dheisheh RC/Bethlehem	VSD	October 2001
Ala Abu Harbeed	2 yrs.	Gaza	VSD	October 2001
Nora Sabah	2 yrs.	Urif/Nablus	VSD	November 2001
Salah Fakhouri	18 mo.	Tulkarem	VSD	November 2001

Children Treated at the University of Gent in 2000:

Name

Age

Residence

Diagnosis

Date

Niveen Shivka

14 months,

Dier Debwan

banding

April, 2000

Nida Sultan,

6 years

Hebron

VSD

October, 2000

Jalal Mal'hees

2 years

Jericho

Fontan

October, 2000

Areej Al-Hawani

18 months

Hebron

Large VSD

December, 2000

Qusay Asfour

4 years

Hebron

VSD-TGA-DORV

December, 2000

Ghadeer Toukoun

2 years

Gaza

Large VSD

January, 2000

Amani Humaid

5 years

Gaza

Sub. VSD

January, 2000

Nafezah Al-Kome

12 y

Hebron

Homograft

March, 2000

Obedeh Sowafti

7 y

Jenin

AS Supra

March, 2000