New York, New York, U.S.A. ... [ANN] The heart surgery team from Loma Linda University and Medical Center are to make a two-week visit to North Korea as part of their long-running overseas medical assistance and teaching program, reports coordinator Dr. Joan Coggin.

“We are delighted to be able to go to North Korea to follow up on our visit there in 1996,” says Coggin. “Our consistent goal is to make it possible to learn and develop techniques together rather than to just come in and operate on a limited number of patients. We see this as a mutual learning experience in which local medical personnel can benefit from medical exchanges while at the same time our staff gains much experience from their participation, and through seeing first hand the situation in the host countries.”

The heart team’s overseas program has functioned for 37 years and has visited such countries as Greece, Chile, Saudi Arabia, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Myanmar (Burma), Malaysia, Nepal, Kenya, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe.

In discussion with representatives of the Permanent Mission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea based in New York, appreciation was expressed for the previous contribution made by Loma Linda’s heart team and anticipation of another successful visit. Administrative Director Jerry Daly will be traveling shortly to North Korea to make practical arrangements.

Some 20 individuals from Loma Linda University and Medical Center, a Seventh-day Adventist institution located in California, U.S.A., are expected to travel to North Korea at the end of April. The team is composed of heart surgeons, cardiologists, nurses, technicians and ancillary staff who donate their time to this program. They are supported by a wide range of medical suppliers and donors who assist with the considerable needs of equipment and supplies that are required to undertake this specialized humanitarian program.

“We hope to be able to make an immediate difference to the lives of at least 25 heart patients in North Korea,” says Coggin, “with many more indirectly benefitting as a result of such a medical exchange. It’s a privilege to be part of this program which transcends national borders through mutual concern for wider humanity.”