The College of Medicine at the University of Basrah organized a scientific symposium on congenital heart defects, in cooperation with the Abbot Company. The symposium dealt with many topics, the most important of which was the early detection and diagnosis of congenital heart malformations, and the necessary plan for it was discussed. Treatments for non-surgical heart malformations by catheterization, which are carried out by doctors from the Oil Hospital, were also discussed.
Cases that were treated by catheterization and not by opening the heart and were successful were also mentioned.
The symposium was attended by doctors from the pediatrics branch of the College of Medicine and doctors from outside Iraq. The symposium was also attended by the administrative deputy of the Governor of Basra, Dr. Durgham Al-Ajwdy, and stressed that the Basra governorate supports an ambitious project to open a center specialized in pediatric cardiac surgery, relying on the local medical staff.