A heart for peace

AT HADASSAH Medical Centre in Jerusalem, a mixed team of Israeli and Palestinian cardiologists has cared for 607 Palestinian children since 2005, for no charge.

Since 2005, the A heart For Peace team of mixed Palestinian/Israeli doctors has operated on Palestinian children. This apolitical organisation has trained five Palestinian doctors to perform echocardiograms and catheterisations, 197 general practitioners to do early screenings, one technician each in electrocardiography and stress test and Holter electrocardiography, and a genetic counsellor.

Half the cost of every hospitalisation is borne by the medical centre and half by the A Heart For Peace organisation. On average, each child’s bill comes to R180 000.

In co-operation with Palestinian-run hospitals and health clinics, as well as theUN, A Heart For Peace began by taking in one child a week. The number and scope grew quickly.

The system allows medical personnel in Gaza and the West Bank to consult with the Israeli medical team about children who may need advanced cardiac care. They share data over mobile applications like WhatsApp.

Palestinian and Israeli authorities expedite paperwork to allow speedy passage for the child and a caregiver (usually the mother or grandmother) to go to a designated hospital in Israel.

No child has been prevented from coming to Israel for treatment.

The parents of an Arab child operated on in Israel wrote a letter of appreciation to A Heart For Peace. She wrote: “We thank you with all our heart for what you have done for us and for all the other families such as ours.”

This is an extract from Israel 21.