GITEGA, Burundi (AP) — DHL Global Forwarding has delivered a mobile heart clinic to Burundi as part of a logistics collaboration with the German nonprofit organization kinderherzen. The clinic is intended to provide pediatric cardiac care for children with congenital heart disease (CHD), a condition that affects many in the region with limited access to treatment.
The clinic, known as MOHKI, consists of 14 containers equipped with operating rooms, an intensive care unit, and solar-powered infrastructure. Medical teams plan to perform surgeries and provide post-operative care during a two-and-a-half-week mission. The unit will operate temporarily while a permanent facility is being developed.
According to the organizers, the project aims to increase access to pediatric cardiac surgery and support local health professionals through training and collaboration. Medical personnel from abroad are expected to work alongside Burundian healthcare workers during the mission.
“This partnership with kinderherzen reflects our commitment to connecting people and improving lives,” said Amadou Diallo, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Middle East & Africa.
kinderherzen Managing Director Jörg Gattenlöhner said the project targets countries with limited pediatric heart surgery infrastructure and aims to serve as a model for similar efforts elsewhere.
Following its initial deployment in El Salvador in 2024, this is the clinic’s first mission in Africa. A second mission to Burundi is scheduled for June 2025. Organizers say the mobile unit may operate in other countries in the region depending on demand and logistics.
