An international training collaboration between the Timor-Leste Hearts Fund and St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne is advancing the small Southeast Asian nation’s capacity for cardiac treatment. 

The Timor-Leste Hearts Fund sponsored Dr Herculano Seixas, the Head of Cardiac Unit Cardiology at Hospital Nacional Guido Valadares (the National Hospital) in Timor-Leste, for a two-week training visit to SVHM in October. 

During the visit, SVHM clinicians instructed Dr Seixas in cardiac procedures like structural procedures on valves affected by rheumatic heart disease, heart attack procedures and stents. 

He also learnt about research into the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to find rheumatic heart disease in areas with a lack of trained clinicians. 

“I loved working with the director, all the specialists, residents, staff and patients at St Vincent’s; they were very friendly and generous,” Dr Seixas said.

“It was great to see how the hospital organises itself in an efficient way to deliver the high quality of services to the people with love, compassion and excellence."

"The training was very important for my professional career. As we are in the initial phase to set up our cardiac services in Timor-Leste, the experience will be valuable for me on my way towards the establishment of Timor-Leste Heart Center. 

“I am committed to sharing my knowledge with my team and am confident that in the short term we will be starting the echo stress study and operationalising the pacemaker programmer."

An ongoing partnership

Pictured: Dr Herculano Seixas with SVHM clinicians Dr Louise Creati and Dr Elizabeth Paratz

The Timor-Leste Hearts Fund has previously brought cardiac patients to Australia for treatment due to the country's lack of capacity in the area. 

But Dr Herculano Seixas' visit is the first time the Fund has been able to sponsor a clinician for training in Australia. 

Timor-Leste Hearts Fund's CEO Jane Williams said the fund was “very grateful to St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne for facilitating the cardiac training for Dr Herculano Seixas.”

“Timor-Leste Hearts Fund is partnering with the Ministry of Health and Hospital Nacional Guido Valadares (HNGV) in Timor-Leste to strengthen the capacity of the cardiac healthcare workforce,” she said.

“This training is an incredible opportunity to enrich his knowledge at a world leading hospital and strengthen the support of patients and the cardiac team at HNGV."

Dr Elizabeth Paratz, who is both an SVHM Cardiologist and Deputy Director of the Timor-Leste Hearts Fund, worked with Dr Seixas during his visit.

“Having Dr Herculano visit and be part of our department for a fortnight has been fantastic,” she said. 

“Everyone has been incredibly supportive, and he has built relationships and support that will continue through as he returns to Timor to continue to build capacity in areas of pacing, advanced cardiac imaging and intervention. 

“We hope to host him again in the future and look forward to building ongoing networks with the National Hospital in Dili.”