Swiss physicians perform heart surgery on Moroccan kids

Seven Swiss physicians have undertaken a seven-day long humanitarian mission in Morocco where they performed surgery on seven children suffering from acute heart malformations, reports on Tuesday Swiss daily "La Tribune de Geneve."

The $32,000-worth mission, supervised by the international humanitarian NGO "Terre des Hommes" and financed by the Swiss Foreign Ministry, involved top professors from the university hospital of Geneva who performed surgery on children aged between 14 months and 10 years and suffering from congenital heart malformations.

Prof. Faidutti, one of the participants, told the daily some of the affections were serious and expressed hope that the seven children would completely recover. Although some physicians were worried over inadequate surgery equipment, they lived through a great experience in Casablanca, he added.

The mission sought two objectives: extending health care to the Moroccan children and transferring technology and know-how to Moroccan specialists, he said.

The surgeon announced that a similar mission would be undertaken next fall and that he would be glad to participate.