Yemen’s first oneHeart clinic on way [Archives:2003/624/Local News]

BY NEWS SERVICES

Yemeni authorities are discussing with an Italian private group of clinics the establishment of what is claimed to be the first diagnostic centre for cardiovascular and heart diseases in Yemen
The initiative, aimed at providing local patients with highly professional health services at affordable costs, will also give low-income people a chance to be diagnosed and get affordable treatment in one of the group's clinics.
The project has long been promoted by Dr Abdallah Raweh, a Yemeni cardiac surgeon, founder of a humanitarian association called 'Amina' in Italy, and Dr Jean Yves Neveux, cardiac surgeon and Scientific Director of the Italian Group of Clinics Villa Santa Maria.
Dr Raweh has been engaged with Amina in many humanitarian missions, providing free cardiac surgeries for Yemeni patients in Italy and Yemen.
He said: “The project will not only initiate specialized diagnosis of the heart diseases in Yemen, but also help upgrade the local health services and contribute to the establishment of local professionals in the field of heart diseases.”
Dr Neveux said the diagnostic centre to be operated by Italian experts will refer the patients to the cardiac surgery clinics of the group, to receive treatment at low cost.
He said the project is of utmost importance in a country where the incidence of heart disease is “higher than in any other part of the world.”
“The diagnostic centre's facilities will focus on the cardiovascular and valve diseases linked to rheumatic fever. The disease has disappeared in Europe, while it is still very common in Yemen due to scarce sanitary conditions and lack of specialized medical services.”
The group is involved, at the international level, in a series of projects aimed at bringing top medical services in the fields of cardiac diagnosis and surgery to the developing countries, including Tunisia, Albania and Romania.
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