JAKARTA: A team of Saudi doctors from Saudi aid agency KSrelief has performed free cardiac surgery at no cost for 30 Indonesian children during a medical support and knowledge transfer program in West Sumatra.
The six-day initiative was organized at M. Djamil Central General Hospital in Padang by KSrelief and the Muslim World League last week, with a 15-member team of Saudi medics, comprising cardiac surgeons, anesthesiologists, critical care physicians and specialist nurses.
The Saudi team handled various cases in Padang, including an arterial switch operation, a heart valve repair and a descending aortic replacement, according to the Indonesian Ministry of Health.
“The KSrelief team of experts brings invaluable world-class expertise and experience to address the gap in pediatric cardiology services in the region,” the ministry told Arab News.
The initiative held “immense strategic value,” it added, highlighting the knowledge transfer sessions, where members of the KSrelief team gave daily guest lectures for the doctors and nurses at M. Djamil hospital, as well as hands-on mentoring that take place in the operating room and also at the intensive care units.
“This collaboration has had a tremendous impact on the development of pediatric cardiac surgery services at M. Djamil Hospital. We have not only succeeded in offering new hope to dozens of Indonesian children but have also gained the opportunity to learn directly from international experts through a highly valuable technology transfer process,” said Dovy Djanas, the hospital’s president director.
“We hope that such partnerships will continue, with the aim of improving the quality of healthcare services in Indonesia.”
An estimated 50,000 Indonesian children are born with heart disease every year, according to data from the Indonesian Pediatric Society. Only about 15 percent are treated, as there is a severe shortage of specialist wards across the country.
Cardiac procedures on Indonesian children are often referred to hospitals in the capital, Jakarta, more than 1,200 km away from Padang.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin estimated that about 6,000 Indonesian children die of congenital heart disease every year, mainly due to limited access to specialist services.
“Since 2022, I have been working toward making sure that more hospitals in the provinces can conduct congenital heart surgeries. From only nine hospitals in six provinces, now we have 15 hospitals in 12 provinces that could do it, including M. Djamil Hospital,” Sadikin said in a statement.
“To speed up this process, we have invited experts. That is why I extend my gratitude to the team from KSrelief and the Muslim World League … not only for helping our doctors to further their skills, but also for saving the lives of Indonesians, especially children with heart disease.”
