The inaugural visit of Chain of Hope representatives to Kampala: The beginning of a fruitful collaboration

Abstract

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Currently there is huge inequality in healthcare delivery for, and research into, cardiovascular disease in children, which is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Attempts at addressing these problems requires the concerted, collaborative effort of all interested stakeholders. In July of 2011, representatives from Chain of Hope1 visited the Uganda Heart Institute in collaboration with the US charity, Gift of Life International2, with additional support from Mending Kids International. The Chain of Hope team was made up of medical staff from Aarhus University Hospital and a multi-disciplinary team of doctors and nurses from hospitals in the UK, including the Royal Brompton and Great Ormond Street Hospitals. The medical team included Dr. Cleopatra Patterson, who just finished her training in London and was sponsored by Chain of Hope, before returning to her homeland in Jamaica, to take part in the newly established Jamacian Children’s Heart Centre (another collaborative project).