Lebanon: cardiac and orthopaedic surgery
Program coordinator: Lucie Dechifre
La Chaîne de L’Espoir started its action in Lebanon in 2012 as part of a partnership with La Chaîne de l’Espoir Liban HEART BEAT, that works in favour of Iraqi and Syrian refugee children living in Lebanon. Since December 2016, La Chaîne de l’Espoir has also launched a programme of orthopaedic surgery with the URDA association.
OBJECTIVES :
- Operate on children with congenital heart defects.
- Operate on children with congenital orthopaedic pathology.
ACTIVITIES :
- Cardiac surgery
La Chaîne de L’Espoir supports La Chaîne de l’Espoir Liban HEART BEAT at the Hôtel-Dieu de France hospital in Beyrouth, which is known for its excellent services. HEART BEAT takes responsibility for the open-heart surgeries and catheter interventions required by refugee children suffering from cardiac diseases and living in Lebanon. More than 140 children have been operated on as part of this partnership between 2012 and 2016.
- Orthopaedic surgery
Further to a needs assessment carried out by its teams, La Chaîne de l’Espoir launched in December 2016 a new paediatric orthopaedic surgery programme. This programme is designed for the most vulnerable children of Lebanon (refugees and Lebanese) suffering from congenital defects that are not covered by the health system. A close relationship has been established with the Lebanese organisation Union of Relief and Development Associations (URDA), which is responsible for the identification, selection, support, direction and postoperative follow-up of patients. Since mid-April 2017, about ten operations have taken place every week in two hospitals, one in Beirut and the other one in Shtoura (Bekaa valley), both known for their quality of care.
This programme is financed by the Crisis and Support Centre of the French Ministère des Affaires Etrangères (Foreign Affairs).
