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President of Belarus Confers State Awards and Opens
Children’s Cardiosurgery Center
On
December 29, President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko
conferred the state award – the Order of Francysk Skaryna -- on pediatric
cardiac surgeon William Novick, M.D. in recognition of his great
humanitarian and charitable work. Dr. Novick is founder and medical director
of the International Children’s Heart Foundation, and Paul Nemir Jr. MD
endowed professor of International Child Health at the University of
Tennessee Health Sciences Center in the United States.
Dr. Novick thanked the Head of the Belarusian State for the great
appreciation of his work. He underscored that he was happy to receive the
award from the President’s hands in recognition of his contribution to the
recuperation of children with congenital heart defects. Congratulating Mr.
Novick and other awardees, Alexander Lukashenko wished them and their
families good health, well-being, success and prosperity in the year to
come.
On
December 31, 2004 the President participated in the opening of the
Children’s Cardiosurgery Center in Minsk. At the ceremony, the President
noted that the health of the people, particularly children, is the matter of
primary concern of the State and is the best New Year present for over 1,000
children who urgently need heart operation. According to the statistics,
between 1990 and 2000 the incidence of congenital heart disease has doubled
in Belarus, and 800-900 of children are born annually with heart disease
that have to be operated on.
Chernobyl Children’s Project International (www.chernobyl-international.org)
provides financial and logistical support to the International Children’s
Heart Foundation to enable them to make a minimum of three surgical trips
per year to Belarus. The medical trips, led by Dr. Novick, provide surgery
for many Belarusian children. The program provides state of the art
equipment and technology to work with and train local physicians. Alexander
Lukashenko in his speech expressed his thanks to doctors from the United
States and other countries for helping Belarusian cardiac surgeons to master
their profession.
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