The Egypt Healthcare Authority (EHA) has successfully performed the first two transcatheter pulmonary valve implantations (TPVI) under the country’s Universal Health Insurance system at Al-Nasr Specialised Hospital in Port Said, the authority announced in a statement.
The procedures, which cost more than EGP 1m each outside of the insurance scheme, were provided free of charge to the patients. Ahmed El-Sobky, Chairperson of the Egypt Healthcare Authority, said the successful operations represent an “unprecedented qualitative leap” in specialised medical services provided by the state.
The first patient, aged 18, underwent the procedure after a medical history involving seven previous interventions since birth and was discharged in stable condition after 24 hours. The second patient, aged 16, who suffered from complex congenital heart defects and had previously undergone four open-heart surgeries and two catheterisations, was discharged after 72 hours.
El-Sobky stated that the localisation of this technology aims to end the suffering of children requiring repeated open-heart surgeries by providing a safer and more stable alternative. He added that the Egyptian state places child health at the forefront of its priorities, ensuring that the latest global medical advancements are available domestically under the Universal Health Insurance umbrella.
The procedures were carried out by the only medical team in Africa certified to perform transcatheter pulmonary valve transplantations. The team was led by Abdel Rahman El-Afifi, described by the authority as Egypt’s leading expert in pulmonary valve transplantation and head of paediatric cardiology at Al-Nasr Specialised Hospital and Magdi Yacoub Hospitals.
The surgical team included consultants Sherif Suleiman and Mohamed Tawfik, alongside paediatric cardiology specialists Wafaa Abu El-Kheir, Elham Rabie, Haidi Hassan, Ivan Emad, and Asmaa El-Baz. Anaesthesia was managed by Ahmed Samir, supported by a nursing and technical team including catheterisation operations lead Aya Ibrahim Al-Gharib, nursing specialist Radia Ali, nursing technicians Samar Ahmed Ibrahim, Zainab Hamed Mohamed, and Shaimaa Mohamed Atta, and radiology technician Mahmoud Al-Maghrabi.
The Egypt Healthcare Authority noted that the TPVI technique is one of the most precise medical interventions globally. El-Sobky added that Al-Nasr Specialised Hospital now possesses an integrated infrastructure of qualified medical cadres and advanced technical equipment to perform such high-precision interventions according to international standards.
The EHA concluded that this achievement aligns with its strategy to transform its health facilities into “global centres of excellence” and expand advanced medical interventions within the new insurance system to enhance beneficiary confidence in its efficiency and sustainability.
