Heart-to-heart effort boosts Israel’s image
There are nearly 50 million people in the East African nation of Tanzania and only one pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon. That would be Dr. Godwin Godfrey, who owes his training to an Israel-based nonprofit, Save a Child’s Heart (SACH).
The doctor was in the Los Angeles area in October, speaking about the international organization that trains doctors from across the globe to perform delicate, life-saving surgeries on children from developing countries with congenital heart problems. It’s also devoted to offering free open-heart surgery in Israel for children from developing nations.
Godfrey is a surgeon who learned about SACH from a German pediatrician at his hospital in Mwanza, Tanzania, according to an interview posted at saveachildsheart.org. As part of his five-year training process with the organization, he spent time studying pediatric cardiology, pediatric intensive care and cardiac anesthesiology at the Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, Israel.
David Litwack, SACH’s U.S. executive director, explained that the organization began in 1995, founded by the late Dr. Ami Cohen, an American who made aliyah. Its goal is to work on many levels, Litwack said: “saving lives around the world, training the doctors and building bridges of understanding [between various cultures and Israel].”
http://www.jewishjournal.com/los_angeles/article/heart_to_heart_effort_boosts_israels_image
