Nicolae Banicioiu, Romania’s Minister of Health visited the Wolfson Medical Center to see the work of Save a Child‘s Heart (SACH).

Mr. Banicioiu met seven year old David who was recovering from a high risk life-saving catheterization and four year old Naomi who two days earlier arrived in Israel for heart surgery. David and Naomi were both screened during our  recent medical mission to Romania and flown over to Israel for their life-saving procedures.

Mr Banicioiu met Dr Yitzhak Berlovitz, Director of Wolfson Medical Center and Yoram Cohen SACH Chairman who were in Romania last weekend to sign an MoU to improve pediatric cardiac care in Romania by treating children and training local medical staff. The MoU is a partnership between the Romanian Ministry of Health, the Grigore Alexandrescy Emergency Pediatric Hospital, Gift of Life International, Rotary Romania, Rotary Israel, the Wolfson Medical Center and Save a Child‘s Heart.

The delegation met Dr Akiva Tamir, chief pediatric cardiologist and Dr Ilan Cohen, deputy director of the pediatric intensive care unit who returned last week from a medical mission in the Romanian city Iasi where they screened over 60 children. The visit was also attended by Rotary Ramat Aviv member Victor Steinberg, Romania’s Ambassador to Israel Andreea Pastarnac and SACH executive director Simon Fisher. To date Save a Child‘s Heart has saved 60 children from Romania. With gratitude to the organizations and individuals who have made this possible including Botnar Foundation, Rotary Romania, Rotary Israel and the Grigore Alexandrescy Emergency Pediatric Hospital, Romania.