Salam Center for Cardiac Surgery: They treated us as if we were their own dear, still their hospital was denied an Oscar award By : AL Hidai Ahmed
12 November, 2013
The Salam Center for Cardiac Surgery hospital situated at Suba village south of Khartoum was founded in 2005 by Emergency an Italian independent organization. The Emergency itself established in1994 during Rwanda genocide war to provide free high quality medical and surgical treatment to victims of war, landmines and poverty. AL Hidai Ahmed of Sudanow visited the hospital site in Suba recently and filed the following report.
Khartoum, (Sudan.info)- The high hospital profiled modern architecture building, that cost whopping US$20m including medical equipment, is situated in the middle of 17 Fadden of a green cover, dotted with fruits yielding garden.
It wasn’t only the green scenery that attracts attention but the highly humane services it provides to low income persons an internationally recognized high standard surgical care, mainly to children and adults’ suffering from acquired or congenital heart diseases. The medical edifice has been rendering this service, without much fanfare, since its inception back in 2007.
The idea to establish this hospital emerged in 2003 when the founder of Italian Emergency, surgeon Gindo Strada, visited the Sudan and presented the initiative to former Minister of Health Ahmed Bilal, now (minister of information).
The initiative was blessed by top political leadership including president Omar AL Bashir, his Deputy Ali Othman Taha and former Khartoum Governor Abdel Halim Ismail AL Mutafi who allocated the plot of land where the hospital is currently situated.
Dr Strada, cardiac surgeon by profession and the Executive Manager of the hospital told sudanow.info.sd that President AL Bashir visited the hospital and expressed satisfaction for the high standard medicinal services provided, up to-date medical equipment and top quality hygiene system, the hospital adheres to in its work.
The work of the hospital was inaugurated by First Vice President, Taha, and since then it offers free of charge treatment to people who would otherwise wouldn’t dream of receiving such a service, and for free.
“We have so far treated 5000 patients suffering from acquired or congenital heart disease,” noted Dr. Strada.
He explains that valvular diseases of rheumatic origin have particular prominence. These are diseases that are often related to poverty and lack of basic healthcare. He argued that incidence of these diseases is high among young people.
c The hospital records show that 61% of patients admitted to hospital are under age of 26. The Salam center is the only center of excellence providing completely free of charge cardiac surgery in Africa, commentated Dr. Strada. Here patients from African and non African counties are receiving treatment in the hospital free of charge.
Dr. Strada stressed that patients from 25 African and non Africa countries have been operated in the hospital and received drugs also free of charge for the rest of their life. The overall treatment is free during medication and follows up, highlights Strada.
He went on to say that the hospital is unique hospital in Africa. It is designed in way similar to cardiac standard hospitals in Europe, he said.
Patients with dysfunction valve are sensitive as regard moisture. They need to breathe fresh air. So the hospital was designed and equipped with automatic air refreshing system to expel out moisture.
Most of patients treated in the hospital suffered valve dysfunction caused by rheumatic fever whilst 20 percent suffered congenital diseases. The hospital executive manager affirmed that Emergency operates it activities in the hospital in collaboration with Sudan’s government.
He said every operation costs US$2000 in avenge, an equivalent of SDG18, 000, at the free market rate of today.
The hospital gets it running cost budget from Italian people donation and Italian government besides Sudan’s government which pays 30 percent of the running cost estimated between 8 to US$9m annually, as executive manager has revealed.
The hospital has 3 operating theaters: sterilization: 15 beds intensive care unit: three surgical wards: outpatient department: radiology: ultra sound:TC:laboratory and blood bank:physiotherapy: Pharmacy: technical and auxiliary facilities and guesthouse for foreign patients. At the moment Sudanow starts conducting interviewing hospital staff the international cardiac surgeons’ team led by Dr. Strada was operating on two patients.
Medical coordinator Portella Gina told Sudanow that one of the patients undergoing surgery is three year boy named Khalil from village in Gezera suffers congenial disease.
She says the operation normally takes four hours after which the patient is taken to intensive care room where he stays four day, then takes two days at sub intensive care before he admitted to regular ward. After release from hospital the patient must come after one month for follow up. The other re –operated patient is an Ethiopian, said Dr. Gina. He was firstly operated in 2010 and he keeps following-up with the hospital regularly and that “everything was good until after recently he developed thrombus on aortic valve”.
“We called him back to fix the problem,” highlights Dr. Gina, adding that persons who undergo cardiac operation must follow up with the hospital for life. For instance she said those whose case needs a replacement with machine valve, they need to take live long drugs for anti coagulation.
But she assures that the hospital provides those persons with the drug, free of charge, and that those who live away are given enough quantity to avoid coming back to the hospital in shorter period.
At intensive care room designed with capacity of 15 beds the patient is received and remains under care for four days. The patient here is served by two sisters and a doctor round the clock, Manahil Badr Saad (a graduate of nursing faculty , university of Khartoum who joined the hospital since 2007.) has said.
“We used to receive six patients at the beginning but the number was reduced to three or four per day.” She said adding that the standard of the services the hospital provided has been the same since the opening in 2007.
The hospital also help train Sudanese nationals, thus passing experience to the local staff. Ms.Manahel is not the only Sudanese staffer who is happy with the standard of the hospital services.
The most important point is that the patients are the happy and grateful. They are happy for the free of charge treatment, the unprecedented follow up and healthcare they receive when they are admitted.
Mohamed AL Balala and Usama Abdel Rahman are kept at regular ward for more healthcare after undergone operated ; have reconfirmed they state that the care was not only from the medical staff, but seems to be running in the blood of each and every staff, from receptionists at gate,medical checkup, operation theater up to attendants at regular ward .
“They treated us as if we were their own dear kids” Balla and Abdel Rahman have said.
30 year old Balla was operated in 1010 and was quite fit. But he said he lives in Kosti and had worked hard lately in farm then went to work in gold mining. So he said he felt sick again and reported to the hospital. As consequence he was kept in since last May for treatment.
“Now I am getting better”, he said, thankfully. For his colleague Abdel Rahman who had sat for Sudan’ School Certificate examination in Nyala, Southern Darfur State said he felt sick after examination and was referred to the Salam center, operated within 15 days and now improving.
But it wasn’t all sweet and honey. The hospital used to receive six patients at the beginning but the number was reduced to three or four per day. Dr Gina said that was due to economic crisis that hit the country since 2011.
“We live on donation but because of inflation we face financial problems leading to cut the number of operations we conduct , “argued Dr, Gina.
However she said she is optimistic that by the year end the situation will get improved.
Sudanow reporter noted that Sudanese Government officials are happy with the hospital performance as it covers Sudan and many other countries in the region.
Since the inauguration of the hospital more than 900 patients from 24 counties mostly African countries were operated on in the hospital, according to hospital records . The hospital humanity mission that extends to serve vulnerable nations across the world particularly in Africa encourages Hollywood American film makers team thinking to produce a documentary film for Oscar prize .
The documentary relates the story of eight Rwandan children who came to the Salam Center in Sudan and were operated on successfully and returned home in healthy.
The Americans film makers followed the Rwanda youth from home until operated on and returned in two months time.
The documentary reflects efforts of the hospital contribution to reduce the death of 300,000 people in Africa every year from rheumatics’ heart disease for free of charge.
The film had not won the prize. Some officials in the hospital who spoke to Sudanow on condition of anonymity suspected that the film was distanced for political reasons.
Dr. Strada criticizes rich countries for failing to support heath service in poor countries. Instead he said they are very generous in war spending.
He cited that rich countries spend US$250m per day in Afghanistan war.
“Just imagine if they had stopped that bloody war just one day and gave us that money how many hospitals we could have built,” Dr. Strada inquired. “We hope that regional and international donors recognize and appreciate the job the hospital is doing and come provides their contribution for this charity organization,” appeals Dr. Strada.
The hospital employs 300 Sudanese in various jobs including medical field in addition to sixty international staff. According to hospital’s administrators the hospital managed to employ 80% of non skilled labor from Suba area as part of hospital social contribution.
The location of the hospital contributes in attracting operation of more transport facilities, building of asphalted road extending up to the hospital from the main road linking Suba with downtown in Khartoum.
Emergency’s long term policy aims to handover the hospital to Sudanese cadres as part of “Sudanization plan”. To this end, specialized courses were designed and would be implemented as of next year, noted the hospital administration department.
When Sudanization program is fulfilled Dr Strada jocked that “one day in 25 years to come and when I come back to Sudan as tourist I may find Manahil the first Sudanese nurse who joined AL Salam center, holding the reigns of the hospital administration, why not!!.”
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