This interview highlights the Salam Centre for Cardiac Surgery, situated on the outskirts of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. The Salam Centre was opened in 2007 by the Italian Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) EMERGENCY International, the center is named “Salam,” which means “peace’” in Arabic. It has conducted more than 8,000 rheumatic valvular surgeries alone and has provided free cardiac interventions to children and adults from 33 countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Nigeria, the Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The Salam Centre remains the only completely free cardiac surgery hospital in an area that is home to more than 300 million people. It is one of the very few facilities on the African continent offering highly specialized, free treatment to patients suffering from acquired and congenital cardiovascular diseases. Severely limited access to treatment in Sudan and the wider region often leads many patients to postpone visits to healthcare facilities. As a result, their conditions continue to deteriorate, putting their lives at serious risk.
Dr. Gina Portella has served as Medical Director of the Salam Centre for many years, including the recent period of catastrophic civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. This conflict has spiraled into one of the world’s largest humanitarian and displacement crises, threatening to collapse an already fragile national healthcare system. Dr. Portella discusses how EMERGENCY leadership navigated these challenging circumstances, the objectives and partnerships of the Salam Centre, and the geopolitical logistics involved in bringing patients across borders for vital healthcare. She also emphasizes the significance of investing in the local team and addresses the issue of brain drain in the region.
To continue advancing its mission of providing quality surgical care and training local clinicians, the Salam Centre is in need of cardiac surgeons. Interested surgeons with at least five years of independent cardiac surgical practice are encouraged to apply. Further information can be found here or by contacting fo.recruiting@emergency.it.
This interview was conducted at the 2026 American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) Annual Meeting by CTSNet Senior Editor—Global, Dr. Emily Farkas, Associate Professor of Surgery and Associate Director of Global Health in Surgery at Indiana University.
For more insights, see her previous visit to the Salam Centre in Sudan by clicking here.
At the 106th American Association for Thoracic Surgery Annual Meeting, surgeons gathered from around the word to discuss essential topics in cardiothoracic surgery. Interviews with leading surgeons addressing these critical issues were captured, and more interviews from the meeting will be available in the coming weeks.
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