Mini workshops for peace in the heart of Jerusalem

[25 June 2008 - 11h06]

A man built to move mountains, a face filled with serenity and warmth …Working with the French association Un Cœur pour La Paix (A Heart for Peace), Professor Jean-Jacques Rein, head of the paediatric cardiology unit at the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem seems to have found a fitting challenge: saving the lives of young Palestinian children living in this war-torn zone who are suffering from potentially fatal congenital heart conditions.

“Before, these children would die because there was no way of screening them or operating on them in Gaza or in Israel”, he explained to us on a recent stop in Paris. “Today the survival rate of these young patients who undergo operations is above 97%. And in most cases a single operation is enough”.

Since October 2005, Un Cœur pour la Paix has co-funded 110 of these operations. The 110 children involved have all returned home in good health. Half of them were operated on before the age of one, and nine out of ten were from Gaza. All of them were born with heart malformations that are generally more serious than are seen in the western world and also more common. The high incidence of congenital malformations can be explained by a genetic factor, as in Palestine the rate of marriages between blood relations is higher than 45%.

Professor Rein and his team work together with a doctor at the Nasser Hospital in Gaza, who carries out the screening. “He sends us a precise diagnosis and the child’s medical details by fax. For example, if a baby is blue, emergency action is needed immediately after the birth”. The sick child is transferred by ambulance to the Hadassah Hospital. “It is fantastic to see Jews and Muslims rubbing shoulders in the waiting rooms”, Professor Rein says happily.

In 2008, the association intends to maintain the level of operations at one per week. And that is only possible, of course, through the generosity of donors. An operation costs around 12,000 euros. The association provides 6,000 euros and the balance is met by the Hadassah Hospital. If you would like to make a donation, please send a cheque made out to Un Cœur pour La Paix, to 48 rue Cortambert, 75016, Paris, France.

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