Heart to Heart with India

Dr. Eyal Porat, Director of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Rabin Medical Center, recently returned from India where he was part of a prestigious group representing Israel in the fields of medicine, culture, sports and culinary arts.

Initiated by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Consul General Orna Sagiv of the Israeli Consulate in Mumbai India, this project celebrated 20 years of diplomatic cooperation between Israel and India and aimed to highlight areas of excellence in Israel. Within this framework Dr. Porat represented Israeli medicine in the area of Cardiothoracic Surgery along with Dr. Slava Bobovnikov, also from the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Rabin Medical Center, and Dr. George Frankel, Director of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery at Schneider Children's Medical Center. Together they performed cardiac surgery at the largest public hospital in Mumbai, India on adult patients with aortic aneurysms, as well as on children with complicated congenital heart defects. The surgeries were broadcast live to cardiothoracic surgeons throughout Mumbai and included unique and innovative cardiac procedures which were new to these surgeons.

Dr. Porat shared his thoughts about the trip, "The cardiothoracic surgeons we met in Mumbai are extremely dedicated to their patients, providing ongoing compassionate care, and though they lack resources, we were still able to perform complicated cardiac surgeries. At a time when there is unrest in the Israeli Health System it was very moving to see my Indian colleagues working around the clock in much less than ideal conditions out of a sense of duty in what they see as their life's mission. I believe this is the beginning of an important and friendly collaboration and I am sure that the Israeli delegates, including myself provided as well as received knowledge and understanding during this important mission."