Chain of Hope Sets up Jamaican Branch

Chain of Hope Jamaica, a charity aimed at providing assistance to create a self-sustained paediatric cardiac programme on the island, was launched recently in London.
Heart surgeon Dr. Roger Irvine, who volunteers his skills each week to treat children suffering from holes in the heart and other congenital problems, will head the local group, which was set up by the London-based medical charity Chain of Hope.
“The aim is to provide assistance . to manage and treat all of the Jamaican children that require help,” said Chain of Hope’s Emma Scanlan.
Since its inception in 1996, Chain of Hope has been sending volunteer medical teams to the island to treat children suffering from life-threatening heart diseases. The missions to the island are led by the charity’s President and Founder, Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub, who worked in Jamaica in the 1960s.
During the first few years, the group worked out of the University Hospital of the West Indies and between 1997 and 2000, the charity joined forces with Dr. Irvine, who was trained by Professor Yacoub and Caribbean Heart Menders, to help create a cardiac centre at the Bustamante Hospital for Children. The charity provided cardiac equipment needed to establish two cardiac theatres and five intensive care beds valued at