Qatar Charity has launched a specialised medical initiative in Sudan to provide paediatric catheterisation and open-heart surgeries, as part of Qatar’s continued humanitarian and health support amid the ongoing conflict. 

The project was inaugurated at the Wad Madani Centre for Cardiac Surgery and Diseases in Gezira State, with the participation of Sudan’s Minister of Health, Dr Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim; the governor of Gezira State, al-Tahir Ibrahim al-Khair; and the acting chargé d’Affaires at the Embassy of Qatar, Abdullah Rashid al-Khater. 

Dr Ibrahim praised Qatar Charity’s support for Sudan’s health sector, noting that its medical camps in ophthalmology, paediatric catheterisation, and open-heart surgery reflect the gradual restoration of normal life in Gezira State and the recovery of the local health system. He said Qatar’s support has contributed to rehabilitating hospitals and strengthening Gezira’s role as a national medical hub. 

The Governor of Gezira State emphasised that the project would provide vital medical services to children and ease the financial and emotional burden on their families.

Al-Khater said the paediatric heart surgeries are part of the diverse humanitarian and medical programmes Qatar Charity has continued to implement in Sudan since the beginning of the war. 

He noted that the launch coincided with an eye surgery programme to remove cataracts in four Sudanese states, benefiting more than 600 people. He also thanked the doctors, nurses, and hospital teams whose efforts are helping relieve children’s suffering. 

Prof Salah al-Basha, director general of the National Heart Centre and senior consultant cardiologist at the Ministry of Health, said the camp is the first of its kind since the war. He highlighted the urgent need for such interventions, particularly after years of conflict led to a growing backlog of children awaiting treatment. 

Khalid Abdullah al-Yafei, assistant to the chief executive officer said 50 specialised operations will be carried out under the initiative, including cardiac catheterisations and open-heart surgeries. 

Al-Yafei added that the initiative forms part of Qatar Charity’s integrated health programme in Sudan. The programme includes a blindness prevention campaign in Wad Madani, which is expected to benefit more than 2,000 patients through medical examinations and more than 200 cataract surgeries. A cochlear implant programme for children is also scheduled to begin next week at Doha Hospital in Khartoum. Gulf Times