U.S. hospital helps young cardiac patients

Since the Friends of Paediatrics was established in 1998, more than one hundred children in Belize have been identified with various heart problems. Almost fifty of the young patients have already received surgery while the other children have been put on a waiting list. Friends of Paediatrics is a non-governmental organisation that provides specialised medical care for children whose parents cannot afford the treatment. Recently the organisation became the local partner of the International Hospital for Children in Richmond, Virginia. The hospital provides surgical services in the U.S.A. for critically ill children from developing countries. This weekend a team from the hospital will be visiting Belize to conduct a series of cardiology clinics. Founder of Friends of Paediatrics, Dr. Egbert Grinage, says the purpose of the medical mission is to identify which children the team will be able to help.

Dr. Egbert Grinage, Founder, Friends of Paediatrics

“Because we know it has a lot of potential for helping Belizean children, particularly poorer families in Belize City and the rural areas who don’t have any money to take the children on their own if they have a hole in the heart or some sort of surgical problem that is very complex. We’re all for it; it’s a new and exciting relationship. And while our country works on getting its tertiary care of children together at a rate that’s reachable to all Belizeans, these children’s needs must be addressed. And so this I what Friends of Paediatrics is all about, working with international and local agencies that can access surgery for children that need it, particularly underprivileged children.”

The clinics will be held at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City on Monday, April fifteenth and Tuesday April sixteenth from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Any parent who has been told that their child has a heart problem is urged to attend.