By Mo Hanif
In a remarkable display of humanitarian intervention, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) has successfully concluded its voluntary medical outreach for open-heart surgeries and cardiac catheterization in Kano State.
The life-saving campaign, which ran from August 18 to August 22, 2025, saw a 25-member Saudi medical team performing dozens of complex heart procedures free of charge at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital. Patients from across northern Nigeria, many of whom had waited for years due to the high cost of such surgeries, benefited immensely.
According to reports, the medical team carried out successful open-heart surgeries and catheterisations, restoring hope to families who had given up on accessing such advanced medical care locally. Relatives of beneficiaries expressed deep gratitude to the Saudi government for extending a hand of compassion to vulnerable Nigerians.
Officials of KSrelief emphasized that the outreach in Kano was part of its broader global humanitarian programme, which has also delivered similar interventions in Yemen, Tanzania, Mauritania, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. The initiative reflects Saudi Arabia’s commitment to supporting vulnerable communities worldwide through health diplomacy.
Local health professionals in Kano described the outreach as a timely intervention that not only saved lives but also offered opportunities for knowledge transfer, as Nigerian doctors and nurses worked side by side with the Saudi specialists.
The successful conclusion of the outreach has sparked calls for sustained collaboration between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia in the health sector, particularly in areas where local capacity remains limited.