Kumasi, Oct.22, GNA - A team of medical specialists from the Children's Hospital, Boston, in the United States in collaboration with their counterparts at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), had performed open heart surgeries on 14 children suffering from heart diseases. The 32-member American team, made up of heart surgeons, respiratory nurses, anesthetists, physicians and volunteers is in the country as part of an annual mission to work with their counterparts at KATH to offer free heart treatment to children.

Dr Francis Fynn-Thompson, Surgical Director, Heart and Lung Transplant at the Children's Hospital, Boston, and leader of the mission, told GNA that each beneficiary would have paid between 7,000 and 8,000 dollars for the surgery.

The Surgical Director said the team was committed to helping children suffering from congenital abnormalities in developing countries, particularly to perform standard surgery which according to him "is very expensive, even in the advanced countries." He said over the last three years, about 44 children had benefited from the free surgical treatment.

Dr Fynn-Thomson said the team's mission was also to train local specialists at KATH to manage a "Children's Cardiothoracic Centre" that would soon be established at the facility.

He stressed the need to train specialists for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases locally adding that the training of local heart surgeons would facilitate the setting up of a cardiothoracic centre at KATH. Professor Ohene Adjei, Chief Executive Officer of KATH, commended the team for the initiative.