World-renowned Egyptian heart surgeon Magdi Yacoub has announced that he will be providing free heart surgeries for children from across the Arab World in Muscat, according to MENA .
The leading cardiac expert will treat children with congenital heart defects from a number of Arab countries in Oman's capital, with a special focus on Iraq, Yemen and Syria.
The initiative, which will be supervised by Yacoub's charitable organization Chain of Hope and Yacoub himself, was agreed upon following discussions with Omani medical officials including the sultanate's health minister Ahmed El-Saidi
According to the agreement, which Yacoub considered an opportunity to exchange medical experience with Oman, the sultanate will act as the medical center in the Gulf for the free heart surgeries.
The cases will be brought to Oman from neighboring Arab countries, especially the ones that are currently facing hardships such as war or conflict, as children in these countries with life-threatening heart problems have greater difficulty accessing proper treatment.
Yacoub said he is aiming to perform at least 12 surgeries per year, but added that it's possible for that number to significantly increase.
Yacoub, a pioneer in the worldwide development of cardiac surgery, is known for using his outstanding medical expertise to benefit those less privileged around the world.
Since 1995, his charity Chain of Hope has been working on bringing world-class medical treatment to children with life-threatening heart conditions in developing and war-torn countries across the globe.
One of the cardiac services nurtured by the international charity is the Aswan Heart Center, it was founded in 2009 in Egypt's Aswan with a grant from Chain of Hope in order to help children in Upper Egypt. It has become one of Egypt's finest medical institutions, providing treatment to more than 500 patients annually.
Yacoub, who is currently a professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Imperial College London, has received various honors for his philanthropic efforts and contributions to the medical field from Egypt, the UK and other countries.
Most notably, he received Egypt's Order of the Nile for science and humanity and Britain's Order of Merit from Queen Elizabeth II, which he was the first Egyptian to receive.