Locations
The Cardiac Surgery Centre at Al Salam Hospital is now fully operational in Mosul. Photo: UNDP Iraq/Moyasser Nasser.
Four years ago, during the liberation from ISIL, nine out of 13 key public hospital centers in Mosul were left severely damaged. This brought down the city’s healthcare facilities to less than 30 percent of its actual capacity.
Supporting the health care system build back, UNDP is rehabilitating eight major health care institutions in Mosul. As a part of these larger efforts, the Cardiac Surgery Centre at Al Salam Hospital was recently established to provide much-needed medical treatment with cardiology diseases such as heart failure, coronary artery diseases and strokes. The support has also included supplying medical equipment for the center.
Inside the Al Salam Hospital that is now fully equipped to handle complex cardiac surgeries. Photo: UNDP Iraq/Moyasser Nasser
Prior to ISIL, the hospital had upgraded their capacity with specialists across many cardiac disciplines to handle complex cases. However, they lacked the adequate infrastructure to support the growing needs of patients that came from across the country in need of cardiac surgeries. The hospital faced further setbacks during ISIL due to damage and disruption of services. This called for establishing new infrastructure to support the demand.
Ahmed smiles as he recovers from his heart surgery at the Surgery Center in Al-Salam Hospital. Photo: UNDP Iraq/Moyasser Nasser
On speaking to Ahmed Awad Hammadi, 58, patient who is recovering from a recent heart surgery, he says, “I just successfully finished a heart valve transplant. This was possible due to the upgraded facilities in the hospital along with a dedicated and professional medical team. I am grateful for all the support, especially the services received.”
Today, the center performs complex open and close heart surgeries. UNDP supported the establishment of two inpatient wards with eight beds each, an administration office, two fully equipped operation theaters, a recovery room, and an intensive care unit. The center has a dedicated team of six doctors, four surgeons, two anesthesiologists and more than 50 administrative staff, serving 30,000 Iraqis in Ninewa.
Dr. Ammar Abdul Salam is the Director of the Cardiac Surgery Department at Al Salam Hospital. Photo: UNDP Iraq/Moyasser Nasser.
Dr. Ammar Abdul Salam, 53, the Director of the Cardiac Surgery Department who treated Ahmed shares, “Going forward, we hope to expand the hospital and increase the number of beds and operation theatres as the centre serves people across the country.”
The Cardiac Surgery Centre at Al Salam Hospital was established through UNDP’s Funding Facility for Stabilization with generous support from the European Union, Netherlands and Norway.
