A team of medical specialists at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital and the Groote Schuur Hospital have performed their first heart transplant, in over a decade, here in the Mother City.

Paediatric cardiologist at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital, prof. Liesl Zühlke says the 13-year old Parusia Muhigirwa received the life-saving transplant in February this year.

Zühlke says Parusia had a very week heart, which needed to be replaced as a matter of urgency.

Zühlke says the operation was a huge success.

She says the hospital hopes to perform more of these life-saving surgeries on other young patients.