CFI Officer and MP for Harrow East, Bob Blackman, called on the Government to look into funding Israeli NGO Save A Child’s Heart (SACH), during DfID questions in the House of Commons this week.
Following a question by Conservative MP Stephen Metcalfe on what support DfID provides to facilitating peaceful co-existence between Israelis and Palestinians, Mr Blackman asked: “Has my right hon. Friend examined Save a Child’s Heart, an initiative by the Israeli Government to treat Palestinian children and save their lives?”
International Development Minister Desmond Swayne MP responded: “Yes, I hosted a delegation of Members from across the House who brought this excellent organisation to my attention recently, and my officials are conducting due diligence”.
SACH was founded in Israel in 1996 for the sole purpose of improving the quality of paediatric cardiac care for children from low to lower-middle income countries. The NGO has brought thousands of children to Israel for heart surgery from countries where medical care is unavailable.
Over 50% of around 4,000 children who have received life-saving treatment live in Gaza and the West Bank, having been brought to Israel for the surgery together with their parents.
