Save a Child’s Heart brings 3 Iraqi kids to Wolfson
Children, aged one, three and six, are among the thousands who have been treated by medical staffers, free of charge.
By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICHIraqi children treated in Israel 370(photo credit: Meredith Holbrook/SACH)
Three Kurdish children from Iraq in need of lifesaving heart surgery arrived at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon on Tuesday and were personally greeted by Energy and Water Minister Silvan Shalom.The children, aged one, three and six, are among the thousands who have been treated by medical staffers, free of charge, as part of the Save a Child’s Heart program based at the hospital.“I shall continue to support the activities of Save a Child’s Heart,” Shalom said.“It is essential that we continue to send out the message that Israel is a humane state.The humanitarian treatment we grant to children is in essence the difference between us and some of our neighbors.“This morning an Israeli was killed at the Tapuah Junction by a terrorist, while here at Wolfson, at the same time, Kurdish children from Iraq are being saved. I’m proud to be a partner in this project which brings hearts together and promotes fraternity among nations.”The children arrived accompanied by their mothers and were received by representatives of the Regional Cooperation Ministry and members of SACH.Hospital director-general Dr. Yitzhak Berlovich noted that to date more than 3,000 youngsters from 44 developing countries have been treated there, and that every year, SACH brings another 250 children, including almost 200 from Iraq.The humanitarian program, established in 1996 by the late pediatric heart surgeon Dr. Amiram Cohen, intends to continue to expand its activities for the betterment of the children in the countries of region.
