Thai - Lao Save the Children’s Blue Heart

 

On October 13, 2023, at 14:30 hrs., H.E. Mr. Tej Bunnag, Secretary-General of the Thai Red Cross Society, and H.E. Dr. Bounfeng Phoummalaysith, Minister of the Ministry of Health of the Lao PDR, jointly inaugurated the "Thai - Lao Save the Children’s Blue Heart" Project at the main Meeting Room of Mahosot Hospital, Vientiane. The Ceremony was attended by H.E. Morakot Sriswasdi, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to the Lao PDR, Prof. Dr. Phouthone Muongpak, President of the Lao Red Cross, Dr Kaisy Latsavong, Deputy Director of Mahosot Hospital, Associate Professor Dr. Chanchai Sittipunt, Director of Chulalongkorn Hospital, the Thai Red Cross Society, as well as executives from the Thai Red Cross Society and Chulalongkorn Hospital, the Thai Red Cross Society, representatives from the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University, Dr. Pirapat Mokarapong MD and representatives from the Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Foundation (PCSF), and representatives of Child's Dream Foundation.

 

The Thai - Lao Save the Children’s Blue Heart project is a collaboration between the Royal Thai Embassy in Vientiane, the Thai Red Cross Society, Chulalongkorn Hospital, the Thai Red Cross Society, the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Foundation (PCSF) and Child's Dream Foundation together with Ministry of Health of the Lao PDR and Mahosot Hospital. The project aims to bring together medical teams from both countries to jointly conduct screenings on pediatric heart patients from provinces of the Lao PDR and seeks to achieve long term and sustainable outcomes by enhancing the capabilities of medical personnel in pediatric heart surgeries in the Lao PDR. On 13 October 2023, for the first time, the medical teams from both countries jointly conducted screenings on 92 paediatric heart patients. After the screening, 37 paediatric heart patients who required surgery will later be referred to Thailand for surgeries free of charge.