1. Purchase of necessary specialized medical equipment, to assist in complicated open heart surgeries.

For the last three years thanks to the foundation is efforts three magnifying binoculars were purchased. These lenses make it possible to operate on newborns. Also the apparatus to dose the amount of NO was purchased; this allows to operate on children with heart problems and pulmonary deficiencies. This equipment cost about 60,0000 PLN. This purchase was possible thanks to generous donations by: PZU-Zycie, Stalexport Wielkopolska, Energetyka Poznanska, ZATECH and International Poznan Fair.

Some of the money was collected thanks to the 1998 New Year Ball organized by Mr. Bogdan Lubczynski in the spectacular GREEN HOTEL in Komorniki. Similarly, Mr. Piotr Alejski from ZATECH and Mr. and Mrs. Krystyna and Andrzej Ozorowski organized a shooting competition.

Thanks to the cooperation with the Clinical Hospital No-5 (SPSK-5) we were able to purchase and upgrade the echocardiogram. "Nasze Serce" foundation was able to submit 75,000 PLN for that purpose. The money was collected thanks to the generosity of PZU-Zycie, Stalexport Wielkopolska, Curtis Healthcare-Poznan. A significant amount of money was collected at the musical concert of Mrs. Maria Serrano who was dancing Carmen in flamenco style. The concert was organized by Music Collection.

Additional funds were collected after the concert sponsored by Prof. Zbigniew Religa and Mrs. Elzbieta Smorawinska. Mr. Bogdan Lubczynski helped with donations again during the second event organized at Green Hotel in Komorniki.

The clinic besides having cardiosurgery and cardiology SPSK-5 also has a hemodynamic laboratory. The lab allows to see the heart using radiology and contrast. For the past few years it is possible to replace open heart surgery with cardiological intervention. Unfortunately, the equipment available is about 25 years old and urgently needs major upgrade. NASZE SERCE foundation made a decision to buy new equipment, the cost of which is estimated to be about 1,000,000 PLN. To help this cause we were able to get support from Senator Jerzy Smorawinski and Member of Parliament Leszek F. Dziamski. Also these efforts are supported by the Director of the Institute of Cardiology in Warsaw Prof. Zygmunt Sadowski and The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. All these efforts seem to be very successful and at any time we are expecting to be able to buy the new equipment.

Our next goal is to collect money for purchasing monitors for post operation department and anaesthesia for newborns.
 
 

2. Education of specialised team.

It is beyond any doubt that the free exchange of information between different clinics is absolutely necessary. The foundation will support cooperation between Polish specialists in Poland and elsewhere. Thanks to the foundation five medical assistants were able to study in several Polish clinics and were sent for a few months to Germany.

We are also planning to support surgeons and doctors from countries were the level of medical know-how needs some improvement. Prof. Zbigiew Religa was trained by western specialists some time ago and believes that this a good time to support doctors from the Ukraine and Georgia. Right now we are looking for support (scholarships, room and board, travelling expenses) for the specialists in pediatric cardiology from the Ukraine (Lwow, Kijow, Zaporoze) and from Georgia.
 
 

3. Improvement of well being of little patients during their recuperation in the hospital and of theirs parents.

Nobody will take better care of a child than its own mother. Right now we are unable to provide accommodation for mothers even for the newborn in the very critical first days of theirs lives. We know that this is absolutely necessary. Our most immediate goal is to purchase an apartment in the clinic vicinity to provide necessary accommodations for the parents. Our long term goal is to build a separate clinic with specially designed accommodations for parents. Right now, thanks to the generosity of Pozban Building Corporation S. A., the post operational division of the hospital was renovated at no cost.

The Cardiology Clinic in Poznan serves the patients coming from the north-west of Poland (besides Poznan and Wielkopolska). Right now we are benefiting from generous donations coming from Poznan but we are trying to obtain similar generosity from other places as well. The best proof of the good work the Clinic is doing are the children themselves. Thanks to the help they received from the Clinic they are able to live and play like normal children.