Gachon Univ. medical team performs free heart surgeries for 5 Mongolian children

Medical staff of Gachon University Gil Medical Center, along with five Mongolian children and their parents, pose during a ceremony at the hospital in Incheon, Tuesday, celebrating the children’s full recovery after undergoing surgeries for congenital heart disease. Courtesy of Gachon University Gil Medical Center

Gachon University Gil Medical Center recently performed free surgeries for five Mongolian children with congenital heart disease and held a ceremony to mark their full recovery, the hospital said Wednesday.

This initiative was carried out in partnership with Incheon City as part of a broader medical aid program targeting children with congenital heart conditions in Asian countries.

For its latest effort, the hospital’s medical volunteers traveled to Ulaanbaatar from April 18 to 24 to conduct thorough cardiac screenings, selecting five children in need of urgent surgical intervention.

The children were brought to Korea and underwent surgeries between June 11 and 16.

One of the children is Naranbayar Nandin Erdene, a five-year-old Mongolian girl. She had already undergone two surgeries in Mongolia, but her condition remained critical. Frequent illnesses had weakened her immune system, preventing her from attending kindergarten.

Further treatment seemed out of reach in her home country due to limited medical resources and financial constraints. Thanks to the intervention of Gachon University's medical team, she received two surgeries in Korea on June 12 and 15.

The hospital held a small celebration on Tuesday before the children's discharge. Attendees included Director Kim Woo-kyung, medical staff from the cardiothoracic and pediatric cardiology departments and officials from Incheon City.

Since 1992, the medical center has provided free surgeries to children with congenital heart disease from developing countries. Over the past 30 years, it has treated a total of 461 children from 17 nations, offering them a new lease on life.

The hospital plans to continue its volunteer efforts by inviting patients from Cambodia later this year.

"Many children in underdeveloped countries still require treatment due to limited healthcare resources," Kim said. "We will continue this program to help more children grow up healthy and strong."