Mission Niger, a mission to multiple challenges
A team from Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque went to Niamey, Niger, from May 14 to 22. The stakes were high and the team fought hard to achieve its objectives.
The team consisted of :
- Dr Thomas Perouse de Monclos, cardiopediatrician in Lyon
- Dr Marielle Gouton, cardiopediatrician in Paris
- Esen Dalmaz, mission coordinator
- Marlène Schlecht, Social Investigation Manager
- Laurent Coignet, Photographer
They were welcomed by the local referral team, who had surprised them with a warm welcome at the airport in the presence of children operated on by the Association. A convivial moment that set the tone for the rest of the mission!
To meet the high local demand, two cardiopediatricians travelled to Niamey to :
- Follow-up consultations with children who have already undergone surgery
- Detecting congenital heart disease in children awaiting surgery
- Consolidating a referral team
- Strengthening ties with local players
- Training local doctors
Niger, a country with many needs
Niger is a vast country twice the size of France. Access to healthcare is very difficult for geographical, security and financial reasons. Ranked 149th out of 152 countries on the Human Development Index, the majority of the population lives in precarious conditions. By way of comparison, the price of an echocardiogram is 30,000 FCA (€46), equivalent to the average wage in the country. But, as elsewhere in the world, around 1 child in 100 is born with a heart defect. For these children, the help we can provide is vital.
Long-awaited consultations
Since its creation, the association has taken care of 151 children in Niger, and has already organized 2 missions to the country, in 2010 and 2017.
On site, the team was welcomed at the General Reference Hospital, where our two cardiopediatricians were able to carry out consultations:
- 30 children who had already undergone surgery were reviewed as part of their medical follow-up.
- 132 sick children were seen for diagnosis, some with severe heart disease.
Local players to be identified
To ensure that children are cared for in a given country, it is essential to be able to count on the help of local players. Our collaboration with Niger was weakened by the successive departures of the country's only two cardiopediatricians. Our team of correspondents is also undergoing changes, so it was important to establish new, reliable partners. In addition, a meeting with the Ambassador and the Minister of Health was organized to consolidate our relations with the country.
Nigerian doctors to be trained
Faced with the lack of cardiopediatricians in Niger, as in many other countries, Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque has launched a free cardiopediatric training program. The aim is to train doctors who work closely with children to send us complete medical files and make more accurate diagnoses, so as to facilitate the care of new patients.
As part of our on-the-job training, we allowed local doctors to accompany our cardiopediatricians and attend consultations. This was an opportunity for them to learn from the clinic to diagnosis through observation, and to exchange views with our experts. On the last day of the mission, a theoretical course on congenital heart disease was given by Dr Marielle Gouton. Over 30 cardiologists and pediatricians came specially from all over the country to attend this course, which was also reported on local TV.
