Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, Founding Chairman, Al Habtoor Group welcomed world-renowned EgyptianBritish cardiothoracic surgeon Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub, Founder and Honorary Chairman of the Board, Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation (Aswan Heart Centre) on Wednesday 17 January 2018. Sir Yacoub is Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London. He was knighted for services to medicine and surgery in 1991. He established the largest heart and lung transplantation programme in the world where more than 2,500 transplant operations have been performed. He has also developed novel operations for a number of complex congenital heart anomalies.
Sir Yacoub was accompanied by Professor Magdy Ishak, Vice Chairman of the Board; Mary Iskander, Ambassador to Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation (Aswan Heart Centre); Dina Al Gazzar, Vice President for Development and Fundraising, and Zeina A. Tawakol, Director of Business Development.
The Aswan Heart Centre Project (AHC) was launched in 2009 to establish a centre of excellence to combat heart disease in Egypt. It is based in the heart of the southern city of Aswan. The AHC occupies an area of 9000 m2 adjacent to the Aswan General Teaching Hospital. The AHC is an integral part of the Magi Yacoub Foundation (MYF), one of Egypt's most renowned charity organizations in Egypt. The AHC also provides apprentices to Egyptian medical students.
Khalaf Al Habtoor praised Sir Yacoub’s contributions to improving heart healthcare for everyone in Egypt, “It is wonderful to see a surgeon of this caliber do something for his nation. Education and research is just as important as medical care,” he said. “No country is immune from heart disease. Sir Yacoub’s work is far reaching.”
The delegation told Al Habtoor about the significance of the project to Egypt. The state-of-theart facilities provides much-needed resources, research and scientific methods to provide heart patients – especially underprivileged Egyptians– with the highest standard of care. “We have become an incubator for young doctors who go on to work at some of the world’s best hospitals,” said Professor Magdy Ishak.
Al Habtoor expressed his interest to visit the Aswan Heart Centre Project on his next visit to Egypt. The Al Habtoor Group has supported many medicalrelated causes over the years, including funding the Khalaf Al Habtoor Medical Simulation Centre at Dubai Healthcare City, as well as other global initiatives.
Following the meeting, Sir Yacoub visited the Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor Simulation Centre in Dubai Healthcare City.