HUSM expedites treatment for 11 heart patients with help of UK surgeons

KOTA BHARU, July 25 (Bernama) -- Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) Kubang Kerian here, has once again assisted to provide surgery, this time on 11 patients with congenital heart diseases,  through the Pediatric Cardiothoracic Welfare Programme.

Programme coordinator Dr Mohd Rizal Mohd Zain said the surgeries performed on patients whose ages ranged from 20 days to 32 years was a charity project held in collaboration with Healing Little Hearts (HLH), a non-governmental organisation (NGO).

The programme commenced last Sunday and ended today.  

"This is the seventh series of the programme and this year we were assisted by eight paediatric cardiothoracic surgeons led by Dr. Edward Peng, a Malaysian who is attached to the Royal Hospital For Children in Glasgow, Scotland," he told a press conference at  HUSM Kubang Kerian here today.

Also present was USM Doctor Alumni Association (PADUcare) chairman, Prof Datuk Dr Jafri Malin Abdullah.

 HLH is an NGO founded in 2007 in the United Kingdom aimed at providing treatment and surgery to children with congenital heart diseases and this humanitarian aid has been extended to 11 countries in Asia, Europe and Africa.

The programme is supported by the Noor Al Syakur (YANAS) Foundation, founded by Tengku Puan Temenggong Kelantan Tengku Puan Sri Noor Hayati Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra, PADUcare and Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC).

Dr Mohd Rizal who is also HUSM pediatric cardiologist, said 60 patients had benefited from the previous six programmes since the collaboration started in 2015.

“Apart from helping cardiac patients reduce the waiting time for surgical treatment, the programme  gives physicians the opportunity to share valuable knowledge in the field,” he said.

Meanwhile Hasmaham Ibrahim, 40, whose 10 months old daughter Nursyafiqah Irdina Muhd Ruslam, was selected to undergo surgery said she was very grateful to all who had facilitated the charity programme.

“We were very fortunate as my daughter was initially not in the list.  However  Alhamdulillah she was the first to be operated on and everything went well,” she said while thanking HUSM for expediting the procedure.

-- BERNAMA