Ashraf AboArafe
16 November 2021, Cairo – World-leading heart centre Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals have officially signed an important partnership with Ain Shams University Hospital, one of the largest educational medical institutions in Africa and the Middle East.
This collaboration sees London’s Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals, part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust, come together with Ain Shams’ cardiac surgery services to develop a bespoke aortic surgery offering at Ain Shams University Hospital.
Using a multidisciplinary approach with clinical care, education and research excellence at its core, this partnership will deliver an exceptional and sustainable service at the hospital.
A delegation of senior physicians and clinical management from Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals are in Cairo this week and have signed the joint agreement that will launch the partnership.
Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals Managing Director, Dr Richard Grocott-Mason said: “Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals are looking forward to working with colleagues at Ain Shams University Hospital to build upon their specialised cardiac services. We look forward to a successful partnership between our two institutions and hope this can lead to further productive collaborations in the future.”
Professor Mahmoud El-Meteini, President of Ain Shams University said: “As part of our project to build Ain Shams University Medical City, it is our pleasure to collaborate with Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals, world leaders in heart surgery. Our aim is to develop the first aortic surgery centre of excellence in the region in order to raise the medical and health care service in Egypt and the whole region.”
British Ambassador to Egypt, Gareth Bayley, said: “I am delighted that Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals, among the world’s leading heart and lung hospitals, is partnering with Ain Shams. This agreement will enable two outstanding institutions to join forces in delivering a world-class cardiac service to Egyptian citizens. In 1983, a team of doctors led by world-famous Egyptian-British heart surgeon Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub performed Britain’s first heart-lung transplant at Harefield Hospital, so it is fantastic to see the cooperation continuing with this latest announcement.”
Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals cardiac surgeon, Mr Ulrich Rosendahl, said: “We are delighted to collaborate with our Ain Shams colleagues in order to provide the very best in specialist aortic services to the people of Egypt.”
Earlier this year, Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals joined Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, bringing three world-renowned cardiac centres together with the vision to revolutionise care for heart patients for generations to come.
* About!
Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals make up the largest specialist heart and lung centre in the UK. The hospitals, part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, have an international reputation for the expertise of their staff, high standard of care, and research success. Experts at the hospitals help patients from all age groups who have heart and lung problems and provide some of the most complex surgery and sophisticated treatments available anywhere in the world.
Over the years the hospitals have been responsible for major medical breakthroughs, such as performing the UK’s first combined heart and lung transplant, establishing the UK’s first adult service for cystic fibrosis, which is now one of the biggest in Europe, and have pioneered the use of primary angioplasty (stents) for the treatment of heart attacks.
