Two young children have received critical cardiac surgery at the Centre Cardio-Thoracique de Monaco, thanks to the Monaco Collectif Humanitaire (MCH) and its partner associations.
Mia, a two-year-old from Burundi, and Fayah, aged nine from Madagascar, were treated at the Centre Cardio-Thoracique de Monaco. Their operations were made possible through the support of partner organisations Children & Future, Monaco Aide et Présence, AMADE, and Amitié Sans Frontières Internationale.
Since 2008, more than 630 children with heart conditions have been treated through the Monaco Collectif Humanitaire. The needs remain significant, particularly for countries that do not yet have adequate infrastructure for treating complex cardiac conditions.
A network of care
The Monaco Collectif Humanitaire was formed when several Monegasque associations involved in international solidarity joined forces to mark the 50th birthday of Prince Albert II. The collective aims to offer treatment in Monaco to children whose heart disorders are inoperable in their countries of origin, with treatment also available for certain orthopaedic disorders.
The treatment process begins when a doctor from the country of origin identifies a child whose heart or orthopaedic disease cannot be treated locally and sends the medical file to MCH. Once approved, MCH arranges travel with Aviation sans Frontières (ASF) providing air transport with an escort.
Upon arrival at Nice airport, children are welcomed by host families who provide care throughout their stay. Depending on the condition, children stay at the health centre between five and 10 days, or longer, and afterwards spend their recovery time with their host family.
Since 2019, MCH has expanded its operations through partnership with the Chaîne de l’Espoir, developing programmes in four countries to operate on children locally when possible. Operations are now funded in Mali, Madagascar, Senegal and Burkina Faso.
More than 515 children have received treatment since the project began: 435 in Monaco and France, 26 in Mali, 42 in Madagascar, 5 in Senegal, and 7 in Burkina Faso.
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Main photo credit: Direction de la Communication / Manuel Vitali