“Medshare was a significant contributor to the success of the medical mission in Rwanda supplying vital equipment for use in the operating room and the ICU,” said Dr. Hal Goldberg of Spokane Cardiology and Healing Hearts Northwest team.
Armed with over 400 pounds of medical supplies from MedShare, the Healing Hearts Northwest team spent two weeks in February working alongside Rwandan doctors at King Faisal Hospital in Kigali, Rwanda. MedShare supplied the team with vitally-needed surgical items, such as oxygen tubing, anesthesia circuits and ambu bags to perform 16 open heart surgeries consisting of valve repairs and replacements, repairing congenital heart defects and pacemaker placements.
One brave open heart patient was 22-year-old Felicite Makarubuga. Having lived through the 1994 Rwandan genocide that claimed both her parents’ lives, Felicite has lived through more in 22 years than most people will live through in a lifetime. She suffered from Rheumatic Heart Disease, a common ailment among young people in Rwanda that originates from untreated strep throat. To treat her condition, Dr. Goldberg gave her a mechanical heart valve to replace the one scarred by her disease.
This is one example of the lives saved by the Healing Hearts Northwest team, which consisted of 45 U.S. medical professionals as part of UJAMAA Medical Connections. UJAMAA is a group of healthcare professionals who collaborate with international communities in need to provide healthcare service, education and training.
UJAMMA is focused on improving health care in Rwanda. Almost 75 percent of Rwanda’s doctors were murdered in the ’94 genocide or forced out of the country as refugees. This leaves only 400 physicians serving a population of 11 million people.
With only three cardiologists in Rwanda, the Healing Hearts Northwest team is committed to sending repeat cardiology teams to King Faisal Hospital to provide not only medical treatment, but also training sessions to help improve Rwanda’s health care system.
View more photos here.
