San Salvador – A team of eight Italian medical specialists has arrived in El Salvador as part of the “Nacer con cariño” (Born with Care) project, an initiative aimed at improving maternal and child healthcare across the country. The programme is funded by the Italian government through the Italian Embassy and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and is carried out in partnership with local health authorities.
Throughout the mission, which will continue until 29 November, Professor Gian Battista Parigi, a paediatric surgeon, and neonatologist Dr Stefano Ghirardello will visit neonatal intensive care units nationwide to assess standards of care and exchange best practices with local teams. The objective is to help raise the quality of services provided to the most vulnerable patients: newborns and high-risk infants.
Training activities also play a central role in the programme. Radiologist Dr Luca Lungarotti and paediatric surgeon Dr Alessandro Raffaele are leading a series of workshops involving 135 Salvadoran healthcare professionals. The sessions focus on both theoretical knowledge and hands-on skills, particularly in the use of ultrasound techniques for surgery and the placement of venous catheters in pregnant women, newborns and children requiring complex medical treatment.
In addition, five online masterclasses will be delivered via the ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) platform. The courses, aimed mainly at paediatricians and gynaecologists, will be taught by geneticists Dr Fabio Sirchia and Dr Elena Rossi, paediatric urologist Dr Luigi Avolio, paediatric surgeon Dr Giovanna Riccipetitoni and Dr Ghirardello. The training covers key clinical topics designed to strengthen professional expertise in maternal and child healthcare.