Patients with injuries, deformities and diseases that affect the health of the heart and circulatory system have just seen their life expectancy renewed, following the delivery last week (12/02) by the Port of Maputo company (MPDC) of various materials for open heart surgeries at Maputo Central Hospital (HCM).

Open heart surgeries are performed to treat a range of heart problems, including heart failure, heart valve disease, arrhythmias, aneurysms and coronary artery disease.

The offer of this essential material, without which it would not be possible to carry out this type of procedure, comes at an opportune moment when some patients have been waiting for an opportunity, according to Adriano Tivane, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeon at the HCM.

"The Ministry of Health already made purchases a few years ago, which made it possible to operate on around two hundred patients, but since we don't have enough budget to guarantee regular purchases, we started to run out of stock at the end of last year, so this offer comes at an ideal time," he said.

For the partner, whose donation is valued at approximately two million meticais and which is taking place for the second time in the cardiac surgery service, the delivery of this material symbolizes help for patients from all corners of the country who require this type of care.

"For us, it's important to collaborate with the state in what it can't supply and the HCM's challenges have been more than immense because they guarantee surgeries nationwide and, therefore, by channeling this donation, we are aware that we are supporting the population as a whole." Soraia Abdula, head of the MPDC's social area, explained.

The first patient to undergo heart surgery this year, as a result of this help, had been waiting two months for the procedure. He is a male aged between 35 and 40 from Nampula province who has a defect in the aortic valve, one of the four heart valves that opens when blood flows from the heart to the aorta.

Since its introduction in 2016, the largest health unit in the country, and the only one with these facilities in the public sector, has performed more than 300 open heart surgeries, with an average of two patients a week and eight a month.

Performed at no cost in HCM, the same surgery can cost between 10,000 and 15,000 dollars or 25,000 and 35,000 dollars outside of HCM, depending on the specifics and/or type of intervention. (HCM-DCI)