During these medical missions, doctors from the US are eager to share their knowledge with their medical colleagues in the correspondent country. A rich resource of medical knowledge and equipment remain in the developing country, and the mission creates an integrated cross-cultural medical team. The US Hospital mission team makes repeated trips to the selected correspondent hospital in the developing country with the goal of building a self-sustained team and related equipment.

Lifeline’s medical mission teams are volunteer physicians such as cardiologists, surgeons, anesthesiologists and intensivists, as well as other critical medical staff including perfusionists, respiratory therapists and nurses, none of whom receive any financial compensation. Lifeline’s dedication is rewarded by the offering of life and hope to the children of our world where none exists.

The cost per child taken care of by the medical missions is approximately $1,414. The average cost for a child brought to the US for complex cardiac surgery is $4,000. The average cost of such surgery and related expenses for a hospital in the US would amount to $125,000 per child, including hospital, doctors, pre and post-operative care, transportation, medications, etc.