A medical convoy of 27 Egyptian doctors, headed by renowned cardiologist Sir Magdi Yacoub, left Cairo to Ethiopia to perform heart surgeries on underprivileged Ethiopians during the period from 20 to 25 July. The Ethiopia visit is the fourth of its kind since cooperation began in 2014 between the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation (MYF) and the Foreign Ministry’s Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development.
A press conference was held in Addis Ababa to shed light on the Egyptian convoy’s work; participating were Sir Magdi and Belay Abegaz, founder and director of the Ethiopian Heart Centre. Abu Bakr Hefni, Egypt’s Ambassador to Addis Ababa, pointed out to the efforts exerted by the Egyptian government in various developmental fields in Ethiopia, especially health. He explained that in addition to the cooperation between the MYF and the Ethiopian Heart Centre, Egypt has established a dialysis centre and a gastric endoscopy surgery unit at the St Paul’s Hospital Millenium Medical College, Ethiopia’s largest teaching hospital. Mr Hefni highlighted Egypt’s commitment to build and support Ethiopian calibres in different fields, stressing that this would definitely build and nurture a relation of trust between the Egyptian and Ethiopian people.
Sir Magdi confirmed MYF’s commitment for continued cooperation with the Egyptian government in order to send out medical convoys to perform heart surgeries on underprivileged Ethiopians and to train Ethiopian calibres on new technologies. He also said that modern medical equipment is being donated to the Ethiopia. He said that, during the period from 20 to 25 July, the medical convoy is aiming to perform 75 heart surgeries.
In cooperation with the MYF, the Egyptian government last year established an Egyptian wing that includes cardiac catheterisation equipment in the Ethiopian Heart Centre.
Watani International
24 July 2017