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Cardiac Surgical Intervention for Rheumatic Heart Children and Young Adults
Cardiac Surgical Intervention for Rheumatic Heart Children and Young Adults
Team Heart, now in year 5 of their commitment to build cardiac surgery in Rwanda. Having completed the fourth surgical mission, this past February 2011 to deliver care to a total of 54 teenagers and young adults suffering from the effects of rheumatic disease. Following the genocide 16 years ago, health care was decimated. Many physicians and nurses, if survived, fled the country. There are only 400 physicians and 4000 nurses in a country of more than 9.5 million people. Team Heart working with Dr. Joseph Mucumbitsi, one of only three cardiologists in the country, to build a sustainable surgical program and develop a detection and early intervention program for Rheumatic Disease. Rheumatic Disease is caused by untreated strep throat--little access to any health care eliminates the option of a throat culture and weeks treatment with penicillin. Surgical intervention can restore a productive life to those individuals truly on the brink of death--returning them to caring for their families and allowing them to work--thus restoring the entire family to health. Please join us in this endeavor--Team Heart, Cardiac Surgery for Rwanda, CA-211, 75 Francis Street, Boston MA 02115 EIN 27-1435443
1. Building a partnership for sustainable surgical program in a country that has no cardiac surgical care.
2. Supporting a detection and early treatment program for Rheumatic Fever--still rampant in the developing world.