Czech medics pull delicate heart surgery
By Ludia Ngwadzai
THE Czech Republic’s MEDEVAC Programme has saved the lives of nearly 200 Zambians including children aged four years and 11 years who both had holes in their hearts.
Czech Ambassador to Zambia Jiri Kyrian says the programme will continue operating in Zambia for many years to come.
Kyrian described the programme as successful as doctors reported over 90 per cent successful heart surgeries at the National Heart Hospital since the it started.
“This is very positive news for the Zambian Ministry of Health and strengthens Czech-Zambian cooperation in the health sector,” he said.
Speaking in an interview at the Czech Embassy in Lusaka, Kyrian spoke about the long-term commitment to the medical humanitarian initiative that has run locally since 2023.
He said the programme provided medical treatment free of charge while sharing medical know-how, experience and best practices with Zambian doctors and nurses.
Speaking in separate interviews, Dr Ziwa Mudaliso, consultant paediatric cardiac surgeon at The National Heart Hospital in Chongwe, said the collaboration with MEDEVAC had been beneficial.
“Heart surgeries need a lot of resources. With MEDEVAC we exchange knowledge and material with our colleagues from the Czech Republic,” Dr Mudaliso said.
He said the National Heart Hospital team operated on children including a 4-year-old and 11-year-old, both with holes in their hearts.
The two children you saw there were operated on last year, one is 4 and the other one is 11 years old, the surgery was successful.” he said.
Dr Mudaliso said heart conditions could be critical, but when a patient was brought to the facility in time, lives could be saved.
He said the team conducted over 90 per cent successful heart surgeries last year, averaging 10 cases per week.
“Each surgery takes six to seven hours to complete. It needs a lot of time. We conducted over 189 successful heart surgeries last year,” Dr Mudaliso said.
Since 2023, Czech medical teams and Zambian counterparts have performed more than 100 surgeries on Zambian patients in ear-nose-throat (ENT), traumatology and cardiac surgery.
Beyond surgeries, MEDEVAC aims to enhance healthcare standards through transfer of medical know-how, training of Zambian professionals in Zambia and Czechia, and consultations.
The impact is personal for families.
Domingo Chitashi, mother of the 11-year-old beneficiary, said her daughter could not manage to do any light chores before surgery.
She said the operation was expensive but “the MEDEVAC Programme helped fund the operation which was a success.
“My daughter is now in boarding school and living a normal life just like everybody else. She can run, she cleans and she is just normal like anyone of us,” Chitashi said.
She thanked the Czech Embassy in Lusaka for the programme.
The MEDEVAC Medical Humanitarian Programme, supported by the Czech Republic and active in Zambia since 2023, providing free specialised surgeries in cardiac care, ENT and traumatology.
