17) May 2024 The CR-OP initiative included a team of 16 volunteer healthcare workers from across Canada and Poland. They traveled to King Faisal Hospital on our fifth mission. While there we perform open heart surgeries on 8 patients with a focus on education, teaching local surgeons and healthcare professionals the skills they need to perform these surgeries independently and provide postoperative care.
16) May 2024 We are excited to announce that we have been invited to Rwanda for another mission. This upcoming mission will be our 5th mission. A team of 16 volunteer members will travel to King Faisal Hospital in a continuing effort of developing the future of independent cardiac surgeries in Rwanda.
15) January 2024 Dalhousie University and CR-OP has concluded the MOU for receiving donations on behalf of CR-OP and has stepped down from assisting CR-OP with donations towards the missions.
14) October 2023 Upcoming mission will be our 4th mission. Once again 20 volunteer members will travel to King Faisal Hospital in a continuing effort of developing the future of independent cardiac surgeries in Rwanda.
13) CBC Interview with Dr. Keir Stewart and Dr. Dominique De Waard.
12) June 2023 Immediately upon our return from Rwanda, the team hits the ground running with preparation and planning for the next trip in October 2023.
11) May 2023 The CR-OP initiative included a team of 20 volunteer healthcare workers from across Canada and Poland. They traveled to King Faisal Hospital on our third mission to assist the country in developing their first ever autonomous Cardiac Surgery Program. While there we perform open heart surgeries with a focus on teaching local surgeons and healthcare professionals the skills they need to perform these surgeries independently and provide postoperative care. Along with teaching, we worked directly with the hospital administration assisting them with the logistics of establishing the program.
10) January 2023 Team of 20 CR-OP members traveled to King Faisal Hospital for a successful week of performing cardiac surgeries on Rwandan patients.
9) Winter 2023 Qatar airways has announced they will be sponsoring the CR-OP team’s flights to Rwanda in January, June and October of 2023!
8) Fall 2022 Preparation and planning for the next trip in January 2023.
7) May 2022 Adult and pediatric surgical teams spent a total of two weeks at King Faisal Hospital erforming cardiac surgeries on Rwandan patients.
6) March 2022 Site visit to King Faisal Hospital by members of the CR-OP team to prepare for the mission trip in May.
5) CANCELLED – Because of the emergence of COVID trip was rescheduled for MAY 2022.
4) Winter 2020 Halifax cardiac surgery team assembled for anticipated Rwanda visit in September. This would be the first mission of the 3 year commitment of assisting Rwanda in developing their first ever autonomous Cardiac Surgery Program.
3) Winter 2020 MOU completed between Dalhousie and University of Rwanda.
2) Fall 2019 Site visit to King Faisal Hospital by Dr. Stewart, Dr. Horne, Dr. Fagan, Lance Mitchell, and Adrienne Benoit.
1) Spring 2019 Concept and first contact.