In Latin America and the Caribbean, thousands of people lack medical insurance and economic resources to obtain access to a diagnostic cardiovascular procedure and/or percutaneous therapy should they need it.
The primary purpose of SOLACI’s SOLidario (which means solidary in Spanish) program is to grant these patients access to these procedures in renowned medical centers. Specialists who are SOLACI members perform such interventions in collaboration with other internationally famed experts.
Dr. Marcelo Halac is one of the SOLACI members behind this program. He gladly accepted an invitation to speak with solaci.org to publicize this interesting project implemented a few years ago that, in every SOLACI Session, shows the importance of helping those who need it the most.
How did the program start, and how did it become what it is today?
Several colleagues led by Dr. Darío Echeverri started the program as an indisputable community outreach tool in each SOLACI country. The project was given a proper structure and re-launched in 2014; that initiative was fully supported by the current SOLACI administration under the leadership of Dr. Ricardo Lluberas. From the very first Session in which the pledge was made, this precious solidary heritage was carried on uninterruptedly in each Regional Session.
SOLACI’s SOLidario program only takes place during the Sessions?
The program has been so successful that we have been repeatedly asked to consider the possibility of undertaking charitable cases beyond the Sessions. With this approach, we are working hard to feature a charitable case at the SOLACI-CACI 2017 congress.
What makes SOLidario such a special program for those involved?
The experience has been moving in aspects that are unusual as regards our everyday professional activities. We often receive patients, we hear them and examine them; we recommend tests, we perform interventional procedures, and we carry out a follow-up. In these doctor-patient relationships, becoming involved in the socio-economic aspects of a patient’s life is not as usual. The program has allowed us to know about people who came from far regions in each of these countries to get the procedure that would solve their health problem, a procedure which would have been otherwise unreachable for them.
Who collaborates with the project on an everyday basis?
Nowadays, there is a solid permanent team working alongside the leadership behind the Sessions (Dr. Jorge Mayol and Dr. Mario Araya) which helps us enormously with the interaction in each Latinamerican Session. Many professionals have selflessly worked long hours for the success of this program; a noteworthy example is that of Dr. Raúl Arrieta. On the same vein, the seamless administrative and logistic coordination carried out by Ms. Laura Stura plays a pivotal role in our structure, and it should be duly acknowledged and recognized.
What role does the industry play in the realization of SOLidario?
The level of commitment undertaken by the industry has been both surprising and gratifying. In some cases, professionals have reached out to us to express their interest in becoming part of the project. So far, Medtronic, PFM, Balton, Boston Scientific, and Abbott are the companies supporting us.
What can you tell us in advance regarding the procedure to be shown during the closing ceremony at Ecuador Sessions (October 6th and 7th)?
A new case will be included in the 30th Regional Sessions that will be held in Cuenca, Ecuador. It will feature a 50-year-old patient with coarctation of the aorta. Pursuant international standards of care, the patient will undergo an angioplasty with endovascular placement of a prosthesis. In conclusion, once again we face the need for charitable medical care, which we meet hoping to bring a patient the solution he needs.
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