Victims from crisis area

Doctors from Upper Austria saved their lives

Murad (right) and Aulona share a similar fate: they were suffering from heart disease and could be saved at the Kepler University Hospital in Linz.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Wolfgang Spitzbart, zVg)

Humanitarian aid in the hospitals of Upper Austria: this year, 24 people from war and crisis zones were treated in our hospitals. Two stories are particularly moving. Those of Aulona and Murad, who would not have survived their heart disease without the help in Linz. 

Eight-year-old Kosovan Aulona and Murad (4) from Iraq have and had several fates in common: they are growing up in a crisis area. And until recently, they were dependent on medical help that is not available in their countries. The boy had a hole between his heart chambers that could have led to his death if left untreated. The girl had suffered from a heart defect since birth and operations in her home country were unsuccessful. They were finally helped at the Kepler University Hospital in Linz.

Doctor Tulzer: "Constriction in the heart removed"
Since 2019, children and young people who are injured or ill or who cannot be cared for locally or only inadequately have been brought to Austria as part of the humanitarian aid provided by the state of Upper Austria. As in the case of Aulona and Murad, it is usually diseases or malformations of the heart that pediatric cardiologist Gerald Tulzer takes care of.

OÖG board member Franz Harnoncourt, Deputy Governor Christine Haberlander, head physician Gerald Tulzer and senior physician Thomas Pauzenberger.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Land OÖ/Denise Stinglmayr)

"We removed the constriction in Aulona's heart and replaced the aortic valve with a biological heart valve. That was a major operation that would not have been possible in Pristina," says the physician and university professor. The procedure was also tricky for the four-year-old boy from Iraq. "Murad was first treated with medication and the hole in his heart was finally shot," explains Tulzer.

State spends two million euros on humanitarian aid
In 2024, 24 sick and injured people from crisis areas were treated in the clinics of the Upper Austrian health holding company, compared to 100 people since 2019. Deputy Governor and Health Officer Christine Haberlander (ÖVP): "Children are the victims of armed conflicts. We can help them in a humane and caring way with the cutting-edge medicine in our clinics." The costs of two million euros will be borne by the public purse.