Vatican: July 22, 2022
In a great ceremony in the Italian capital, Rome, an agreement was signed for joint medical cooperation between the Magdi Yacoub Foundation for Heart Diseases and Research and the Italian Bambino Gesù Charitable Society, which is interested in implementing the Bambino Gesù Women’s and Children’s Hospital in the new administrative capital in Cairo.
The ceremony included a presentation of the charitable projects accomplished by the Italian Bambino Gesù Association, especially the project of the Oasis of Mercy orphanage, whose name was inspired by the gift of His Holiness Pope Francis for this project, a replica of the statue of mercy of Michael Angelo.
The celebration was attended by His Excellency Ambassador Mahmoud Talaat, Ambassador of Egypt to the Vatican, His Excellency Ambassador Omar Obaid Al Shamsi, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the Republic of Italy, His Eminence Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, President of the Congregation of Saints in the Vatican and an honorary member of the Bambino Gesù Charitable Society, and a large number of dignitaries public and officials.
The agreement provides for cooperation between the two parties in the medical fields, as the Magdi Yacoub Foundation - the pioneer in the field of cardiology, treats children with heart diseases – will contribute to training medical and nursing staff at the Bambino Gesù Hospital, and cooperates in medical research. The Bambino Gesù Association will receive children and treats cases sent to it from the Magdi Yacoub Foundation.
The memorandum of understanding also stems from the establishment of a joint committee that meets twice a year to study all areas of cooperation and to support joint work between the two institutions.
Mgrs Dr. Monsignor Yoannis Lahzi GAID, former Personal Secretary of His Holiness Pope Francis, arranged a meeting between His Holiness Pope Francis, with Sir Magdi Yacoub, international surgeon, Dr. Magdi Ishak, Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, accompanied by Mrs. Zina Tawakkul, Executive Director of the Foundation, Dr. Rita Gad El-Rub, and Mrs. Lisa Magdi Yacoub.
At the end of the 20-minute meeting, His Holiness Pope Francis blessed this cooperation between the two parties, and prayed that God would crown the efforts of those responsible for this charitable work with success.
It is worth noting that the Magdi Yacoub Foundation for Heart Diseases and Research is a charitable non-governmental organization registered in Egypt in 2008, and the Bambino Gesù Association is also a charitable medical institution headed by Mgrs Dr. Monsignor Yoannis Lahzi GAID.
The cooperation also includes the Human Fraternity Foundation for Services, which oversees the implementation and management of the Bambino Gesù Women’s and Children’s Hospital project in the New Administrative Capital of Cairo. The project is supported and under the supervision of the Bambino Gesù Hospital of the Vatican, which is one of the most important hospitals specialized in the field of children and rare diseases in the world.
