Life-saving devices implanted in Africa

words: Balasundaram Lavan, Founder of Pace4Life

Between 9 and 27 February, Pace4Life and partners Project My Heart, Your Heart implanted 24 devices – eight pacemakers in Sierra Leone and 13 pacemakers and one ICD in Kenya.

A global team, led by Prof. Zaheer Yousef, a Consultant Cardiologist of the University Hospital Wales, and Prof. Thomas Crawford, a Cardiologist from the University of Michigan, visited both Sierra Leone and Kenya in order to assess the current facilities and capabilities in both countries while kicking off a long term sustainable programme for pacemaker implantation by training local doctors and implanting devices.

The mission was a fantastic success and teams met and worked with local doctors Dr James Russell (Sierra Leone) and Dr Constantine Okwanalo (Kenya). Both are PASCAR Fellows who were trained in South Africa and identified as cardiologists who could and would champion pacemaker implantation and reuse on return to their respective countries.

On visiting both countries, the team were very happy with the operating facilities and staff. Prof. Yousef and Prof. Crawford spent a lot of their time teaching the local staff about implantation and sterile techniques etc. By the end of the missions in each country the local cardiologists were implanting devices themselves, so much so, we also reached a massive landmark and implanted three donated/reconditioned pacemakers in Sierra Leone.

It was a first for our joint efforts to create a sustainable programme for pacemaker implantation and a great step building on our previous missions to Ghana and Sudan. As ever, both our Sierra Leonean and Kenyan colleagues were hospitable and welcoming and keen to push our efforts for pacemaker reuse.

During our visits we were covered by BBC Radio and TV, please check our Facebook page and YouTube Channel to watch or listen to the clips.

This is just the start of our journey after more than five years’ work and I would like to thank you for all your support. The mission was funded by the recycling of pacemakers, without consent forms, for their metals sent by SAIF members. I would like to thank you all for facilitating these and ask for your continued support and now ask that you focus on pacemakers with signed consent forms. So if you haven’t already, please sign up via our website, download our instruction pack (NOK permission forms, cleaning, packaging and posting) and support our further missions.

If you have any questions, email or visit the website to find out the latest developments as and when they happen.

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