REPORT 2023 PASCaTS GHC - Neues Projekt

PASCaTS’ REPORT 2023

The Pan-African Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery (PASCaTS) was founded in June 12, 2011 in Berlin. Registered on 19 December 2011 by the District of Charlottenburg, Berlin. It was recognized as a non-profit, charity organization on 21 March 2012 by the Tax Office in Berlin, Germany

Objectives of PASCaTS

1. To strengthen supra-regional pediatric cardiology outpatient care.

2. To develop and promote South-South multilateral medical development cooperation with the regional hospitals

3. To develop and promote mother/child teleclinic program for better cardiac healthcare and follow-up of children and adults with congenital heart disease in the rural areas.

4. To promote education and training programs for healthcare professionals for the prevention, early detection and treatment of congenital and rheumatic heart disease through multilateral South-South cooperation.

5. To provide additional training and education for healthcare professionals in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) centers through regular videoconferencing and simulation courses

Ten Remarkable Humanitarian Missions in 2023 in Africa

First of all we are very grateful to our dedicated international and local teams, local hosts, partner institutions, supporters, donors of medical materials and our principal sponsor Edwards Lifesciences Foundation, USA for realizing our sustainable and impactful projects in Africa for the underserved communities esp. children with heart disease.

Your contributions to this project provide our young trainees the opportunities to unfold and improve their skills and cultivate a broader knowledge for their clinical practices. The acquired clinical experience would inspire them to discover research opportunities in their field. Their scientific achievements would eventually impact their horizon for innovations in their profession. It will also establish a network and resource for global contacts for the young local heart team generations.

In 2023, PASCaTS undertook ten (10) remarkable humanitarian missions with its taskforce Global Heart Care in collaboration with the German Heart Centre Charité Berlin and Leiden University Medical Centre to develop and strengthen the infrastructure of cardiovascular health programs in West Africa. The clinical missions consisted of screening, detection, treatment and recovery which included community education, pediatric cardiology clinics, capacity building programs in pediatric cardiology and intensive care nursing in Ghana and in The Netherlands. Below you find some highlights of our accomplishments:

1. February 2023: Accra Heart Walk. Community education: Heart health awareness and a stress test for asymptomatic heart disease

2. March 2023: Screening and recruitment by Berlin pediatric cardiology visiting team with local cardiologist and site visit by pediatric anesthesiologist at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC), and Korle Bu Teaching hospital. Accra, Ghana, respectively. - Pediatric cardiac surgery visiting team at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC), Accra.

3. May 2023: Pediatric Interventional Cardiac Surgery, University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC), Accra.

4. October 2023: Screening and recruitment at the pediatric out-patient clinic with local team at The Bank hospital, Accra - Joint session EACTS/PASCaTS-GHC session held during the 37^th EACTS annual meeting 4-7^th Oct 2023 in Vienna, Austria

5. November 2023: Pediatric Intensive care nursing course, Accra, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Accra - Pediatric cardiology clinics, Children’s hospital and National Cardiothoracic Centre, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana

6. December 2023: Advanced pediatric cardiologay course for four Ghanaian general cardiologists at the University Medical Centres in Leiden and Amsterdam sponsored by PASCaTS.:

Highlights of PASCaTS-GHC Activities 2023

Heart Walk Accra Feb. 2023 was organized to mark the Heart Valve Day and to spell out the challenges surrounding “Rheumatic Heart Valve Disease in Children in Africa. It was also a cardiovascular stress test that empowers awareness of heart health and promotes social network.

Interventional Cardiac Surgery Program at Univ of Ghana Medical Centre, Accra, Ghana