“Rheumatic Heart Valve Disease Remains A Major Challenge”

Most of your team was raised in Cameroon but trained and practices in Germany. What gaps in Cameroon’s healthcare sys­ tem inspired you to found Heart­ beat to give back? There is a rapidly growing need for specialised cardiovascular care across Cameroon and Africa as a whole. As Cameroonian doctors practicing in Germany, returning for our fourth mission to treat patients directly in close partnership with the Douala General Hospital has proven to be the most impactful way to give back. What are the most common heart conditions you encounter during these missions? We treated a broad spectrum of car­ diovascular conditions in patients ranging from 16-year-olds to the elderly. Rheumatic heart valve di­ sease remains a major challenge, with mitral and aortic valve patho­ logies being the most frequent is­ sues we see. While many visiting medical organisations focus primarily on pediatric structural heart defects, our platform fills a critical gap by providing advanced valve treatments to young adults and older patients. How do you assess the technical capabilities and platform at Douala General Hospital? Success requires trained local staff and diagnostic tools. Douala General Hospital possesses the ...