FMIC, a pioneer in paediatric heart surgeries, has introduced a cardiac surgery programme for adults. For the first time, people with heart problems can receive high quality specialized treatment and world class care in Afghanistan.
FMIC’s experienced cardiologists, backed by a state of the art cardiac catheterization laboratory and a 17-bed facility, will be able to treat patients requiring consultations, diagnostic angiography, angioplasty and open-heart surgery.
With the introduction of FMIC’s cardiac programme, Afghan residents will no longer have to struggle to access specialist cardiac services or travel abroad for health care. Every year, an estimated US$ 250-300 million is spent on treatment overseas by patients who have no other options.
Inaugurating the programme, Dr Ferozuddin Feroz, Minister of Public Health, applauded FMIC’s work. “Improving health care in Afghanistan is a priority for the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan,” he said “and we support such initiatives that can help us reduce medical tourism.”
The First Lady of Afghanistan Mrs Rula Ghani congratulatory message commended FMIC on its new services.
FMIC is proud to invest in its people and in cutting-edge infrastructure that enables innovation in the delivery of high quality health care in Afghanistan said AKDN Diplomatic Representative Mrs Nurjehan Mawani. She spoke about how “the cardiac programme marks yet another step in this direction” and represents a milestone for FMIC, with “adults being admitted to the hospital as inpatients for the very first time”.
Over the next 15 years, an estimated 6,000 adult cardiac surgeries, 12,000 angiographies, 2,400 angioplasties and 163,000 consultations will be conducted at the facility. The new service costs US$ 1.7 million and is funded by the Aga Khan Development Network and La Chaîne de l’Espoir.
La Chaine’s President, Dr Eric Cheysson, described the French NGO as committed to supporting FMIC initiatives to deliver quality health services. “This is best done by sharing best practices through long and short term medical missions,” he added.
Mr Jean-Michel Marlaud, Ambassador of France to Afghanistan, Mr Salim Hasham, Vice President, Health Services Aga Khan University, senior government representatives, civil society and media organizations also attended the event.
FMIC was founded in 2006 through a unique public-private partnership between the Governments of Afghanistan and France, the Aga Khan Development Network and La Chaine de L’Espoir, with the facility managed by the Aga Khan University.
About FMIC
The French Medical Institute for Children, the only ISO certified hospital in Kabul, offers high quality care and medical education in the quest to build a sustainable healthcare system for Afghanistan. Since 2006, FMIC has carried out 2,000 plus paediatric cardiac surgeries, served over 3 million child and adult patients, trained 700 medical professionals, and employ 95 per cent Afghan staff. FMIC performs over 55,000 radiology procedures and over 300,000 laboratory tests annually. FMIC has also introduced Adult Cardiac Surgery Services along with a Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory (Cath-lab) which will significantly assist the Ministry of Public Health in improving the health indicators in Afghanistan.
As a not-for-profit hospital, FMIC is run through an innovative partnership between the Governments of Afghanistan and France, the Aga Khan University part of the Aga Khan Development Network and the French NGO, La Chaîne de l’Espoir.
