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For Some Zimbabwe Children With Heart Disease, a Rare Lifeline Restores Hope

August 15, 2025

Zimbabwe's Parirenyatwa Hospital recently hosted a "heart camp" where Egyptian surgeons collaborated with local doctors to provide free open-heart surgeries for 10 children. This initiative offers critical care for families who cannot afford the $15,000 cost of surgeries abroad, in a country with only five cardiothoracic surgeons and chronic equipment shortages in public hospitals. Zimbabwe resumed open-heart operations in 2023 after a five-year pause due to economic turmoil, with 55 children receiving surgery from local surgeons and 19 more benefiting from international surgical camps.

Who is affected

  • Children born with congenital heart disease in Zimbabwe (estimated 4,500 annually)
  • Families who cannot afford the $15,000 cost for surgery abroad
  • The 10 children who received free open-heart surgery during the July "heart camp"
  • The 55 children who have received surgery from local surgeons since 2023
  • The 19 children who benefited from two surgical camps with Egyptian assistance
  • Parents like Vimbainashe Chakanungwa, a teacher earning about $300 monthly

What action is being taken

  • Egyptian surgeons are working alongside Zimbabwean doctors to provide free open-heart surgeries
  • Local surgeons are continuing to perform heart surgeries despite challenges
  • Parirenyatwa Hospital is hosting "heart camps" for children needing cardiac care
  • Non-governmental organizations such as Gift of Life International are supporting the surgical initiatives
  • Dr. Hesham Shawky is organizing similar surgical camps in other African countries including Kenya and Uganda

Why it matters

  • Approximately 1,200 Zimbabwean infants (30% of those with heart disease) die in their first year without treatment
  • There are only five cardiothoracic surgeons in Zimbabwe, creating a critical shortage of specialists
  • Public hospitals face chronic shortages of functioning equipment
  • Most families cannot afford the $15,000 needed for surgery abroad
  • There is no medication that can replace necessary heart surgery
  • The surgical camps provide life-saving care that would otherwise be inaccessible to most Zimbabwean families

What's next

  • No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint