MODERN WONDERS IN ANCIENT EGYPT

Behind the ancient temples that overlook the Nile, the groundbreaking Aswan Heart Centre is working wonders of its own, providing much-needed surgery and care for children and the underprivileged.

Those embarking on a Nile cruise with Abercrombie & Kent may wish to add an additional excursion to the itinerary before or after their immersion into Ancient Egypt. Not far from the banks of the river, the Aswan Heart Centre (AHC) is at the forefront of cardiovascular treatment and research in Egypt, and offers a real insight into how a medical charity can have a real impact on people’s lives here.

A&K Philanthropy has partnered with the specialist heart center to provide support through donations from A&K guests.

The AHC was founded in 2009 by one of Egypt’s leading heart surgeons, Sir Magdi Yacoub, who recognised a desperate need for free-at-point-of-use healthcare to treat underprivileged patients with cardiovascular disease. Working around the country, he met many children and families who had travelled long distances from Aswan in search of treatment. The disease is one of modern Egypt’s biggest curses, accounting for 46% of all deaths – many of them preventable. Since opening, the center has grown and grown; it currently employs 370 doctors and nurses, and has a state-of-the-art imaging center, along with a research building for developing new approaches to surgery and treatment.

This is one of A&K Philanthropy’s newest projects, partnering with the Magdi Yacoub Foundation to help support the Aswan Heart Centre. Guests interested in visiting the centre will be met by an English-speaking doctor and given a behind-the-scenes tour around the surgical theatre, research facilities and family care centre, where parents learn how to take care of their children once treated – the tour can be conducted in as little as 30 minutes, or up to half a day. It’s early days for the project, but AKP is currently identifying the priority needs that it can donate to, thanks to the generosity of our guests.

“It is a point of pride for A&K and AKP to associate with the Magdi Yacoub Aswan Heart Centre. Dr. Yacoub is world famous and well known by our guests, and the work the Centre is doing is changing lives forever.”