The “Healing Hearts” Program in Palestine started in 1998, when we brought an American team to Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem to operate on babies born with heart defects. Since then, thousands of volunteer doctors and nurses from all over the work have volunteered their time and expert skills to save the lives of thousands of babies in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as to build a program that will develop sustainability and independent care for the hundreds of children born each year in Palestine with congenital heart disease. Our goal is to develop diagnostic, surgical and post-operative care for these children, as well as to train local staff and provide infrastructural support.
Dr. Dominique Metras is a world-renowned pediatric cardiac surgeon. He was the first chief and creator of cardiac surgery in Abidjan (Ivory Coast ), in Africa, in cooperation with the University French system, from 1976 to 1984. In 1984, he returned to Marseille (France) to run the only unit of pediatric cardiac surgery, and continued the activity with Terre des Hommes and also another French NGO (Enfants du Monde, Chaine de l'Espoir, La Ribambelle...) operating on children from Africa and other places.
In 1997 Dr. Metras started his first medical mission, bringing in medical teams (anesthesiologists, perfusionists, cardiologists, nurses) working for Chaine de l'Espoir, Surgeons of Hope, PCRF, and also another Swiss NGO for Mauritius Island. He worked in different countries; Iraq (5 missions with governmental support), Mozambique, Cameroon, Senegal (three times), Nicaragua 6 times (for Surgeons of Hope), and Mauritius Island. He also worked in several other countries for cooperation support, surgery, and teaching: Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, India, Iran, Dominican Republic. His work extended to Palestine with his first two missions at Makassed, they were supported by the French Consulate, and subsequently by PCRF. Dr. Metras is auctioning off three pieces of his watercolor artwork in support of the PCRF Healing Hearts Program. This will enable PCRF to continue its medical missions throughout the Levant, helping children get the care they could not otherwise receive locally. Learn more about the Healing Hearts program here: https://www.pcrf.net/pediatric-cardiac-program.
The first two pieces below represent two views in Jericho and Ramallah, just before the main checkpoint to Jerusalem. The second two pieces are in Gaza. The artwork size is: 14X20
The PCRF currently is supporting two programs in Palestine to build up local services and to provide life-saving surgery for sick children with heart defects.
While our first missions to Ramallah Hospital were from 1999-2002, we re engaged the PA Ministry of Health in building a department in the Bahraini Hospital in 2015. PCRF is currently supporting the training of doctors and nurses, the building of infrastructure, including a pediatric intensive care unit, surgery for children with heart defects through the sponsorship of medical missions to the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah.
International Palestinian Cardiac Relief Organization (IPCRO)
In April, 2004 the University of Ghent in Belgium hosted the first meeting for dozens of volunteer doctors and nurses from all over the world to plan for the long-term building and support for a pediatric cardiac surgery program in Palestine. Led by IPCRO’s first president – Professor Guido Van Nooten – IPCRO has since evolved into the main consulting partner of the PCRF, advising on missions, patient care, ICU protocols, infrastructural support and development. The goal of IPCRO is to build up services so that eventually these children can be treated in the PA MOH and not be transferred abroad for expensive and difficult care.
Here are some of the children who we have helped to treat over the years
Mohannad Abu Ouda
Muhannad didn’t show any visible symptoms of a heart disease, but after he went in for measles vaccination the doctors noticed an excessive heart-beating and accordingly they asked for a medical referral to Israeli hospitals so he could undergo surgery there but he never did. Then following, he was contacted again so he could be checked by a pediatric cardiac voluntary mission lead by Dr. Adil Hussain in October of 2015 at the European Gaza Hospital. Through this mission, Muhannad took the necessary tests and then underwent heart surgery.
Mohammad Barhoum
Muhannad didn’t show any visible symptoms of a heart disease, but after he went in for measles vaccination the doctors noticed an excessive heart-beating and accordingly they asked for a medical referral to Israeli hospitals so he could undergo surgery there but he never did. Then following, he was contacted again so he could be checked by a pediatric cardiac voluntary mission lead by Dr. Adil Hussain in October of 2015 at the European Gaza Hospital. Through this mission, Muhannad took the necessary tests and then underwent heart surgery.
Habiba Alamour
Habibah Hani Alamour is a year and half year old baby from Khan Younis who has suffered from defects in her arteries since birth, where surgical intervention was necessary to save her life. Luckily for her, when the volunteer Italian pediatric cardiac mission led by Professor Stefano Luisi came to the European Gaza Hospital in February of 2016, Habibah was able to undergo the necessary surgery to save her life, and now she’s healthy and has a bright future ahead of her.
Noura Daghmash
Noura is a beautiful eight-year-old girl from Gaza. She was born with a congenital heart defect and she knows how hard it is to be this sick. She had three different holes in her heart, two of them closed on their own but the last one needed a surgical intervention. In 2013, a pediatric cardiac voluntary mission lead by Dr. Nahidah Hasaniya came to the European Gaza Hospital and Noura was fortunate enough to undergo the necessary surgery to save her life when she was only 5 years old.
Abdelrahman Thaher
Abdelrahman Ismail Thaheer is an eleven-year-old boy in 6th grade. He lives in Rafah in southern Gaza, and has 4 brothers and 4 sisters. He was born with severe subvalvular aortic stenosis. In October of 2015, a Texas-based pediatric cardiac mission led by Dr. Adil Hussain helped to save his life by operating on him at the European Gaza Hospital. Abdelrahman can now can play with other kids his age and smile from a healthy heart.
Bara Radie
Bara’ Ismail Radie is a nine-year-old boy from Khan Younis who has 6 brothers and 4 sisters. He was born with a congenital heart defect called VSD where he had a hole in his heart. In October 2015 a pediatric cardiac mission led by Texas surgeon Dr. Adil Hussain operated on him at the European Gaza Hospital, and Bara’ was finally able to receive the necessary treatment to save his life. He is now in fourth grade and doing well in school.
