DHL delivers world’s first mobile heart clinic to Burundi

DHL Global Forwarding has successfully transported the world’s first mobile heart clinic for children to Burundi.

"The milestone logistics initiative will help bridge a critical healthcare gap in the region. In partnership with the German NGO kinderherzen, the mobile clinic will provide life-saving cardiovascular surgeries for children with congenital heart diseases (CHD)," says an official release from DHL.

An estimated 90 percent of children in Africa with CHD lack access to necessary medical care, contributing to high mortality rates, the release added. "MOHKI, the mobile heart clinic, is designed to address this by bringing specialised treatment to underserved communities. The facility consists of fourteen 20-foot containers equipped with operating theatres, an intensive care unit, medical supplies and equipment, solar panels and other essential infrastructure to enable continuous and reliable operations."

Following a successful mission in El Salvador last year, where the clinic’s team performed 24 heart surgeries, volunteer medical experts will collaborate with local professionals in Burundi to provide lifesaving surgeries and strengthen pediatric healthcare capacity, the release added.

"This partnership with kinderherzen reflects our commitment to connecting people and improving lives," says Amadou Diallo, CEO, Middle East & Africa, DHL Global Forwarding. "By utilising our logistical expertise and global network, we’re ensuring that advanced healthcare services reach communities where they are needed most, empowering health systems to deliver life-saving medical care for children."

The MOHKI team will carry out life-saving heart surgeries over a two-and-a-half-week period, which includes two weeks of procedures followed by five days of post-operative care. After surgery, children will receive medical attention in MOHKI's intensive care unit and nursing ward before being discharged or transferred to the Mother-Child Centre of Hospital Kamenges. This mission marks the first phase of MOHKI’s work in Burundi, with additional missions planned, including the next one in June 2025, the release added.

"Without access to paediatric heart surgery, many children with congenital heart defects in Burundi have no chance of survival," says Jörg Gattenlöhner, Managing Director, kinderherzen. "This mobile kinderherzen-clinic is an opportunity to save lives. Some central African countries, particularly Burundi, are severely underserved. This project not only saves lives, but also lays the foundation for a global movement of humanity and cooperation. Such an initiative would not be possible without logistics partners like DHL, and for that we are grateful."

Other African nations have already expressed a need for specialised cardiological healthcare, highlighting the potential for MOHKI to expand its impact across the region, the release added.