Providing cardiac care to children in need
Dr. Nurin Jivani-Tajdin (BSc '07, Health Studies) has always known she would go into medicine.
It might have been because of her bout with childhood cancer, which shaped her relationship to pediatric health care. Her mother also impressed upon her that since she had survived it, she “owed a portion of her life to giving back.”
She has taken that idea to heart, becoming a pediatric cardiologist and practicing in two countries. She splits her time between Toronto and missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where there are approximately three pediatric cardiologists for a population of close to 100 million people.
She initially considered working in pediatric oncology but found cardiology was more her calling. In Canada, she established a charity called Born Equal, which aims to support pediatric health care and build capacity in developing countries. In Congo, she helped found Fondation Centre Medical Diamant which currently works on a pediatric open-heart surgery initiative that targets underprivileged children across Congo and even some patients from other Sub-Saharan African countries.
The objective is not only to save lives, but to build local capacity. She is a board member of the Centre Médical Diamant, a multi-chain hospital system in Congo and Canada, where she also works as a pediatric and fetal cardiologist.
Her husband, Karim Tajdin, is the CEO and co-founder of the Lubumbashi branch. Together, they partnered with Global Cardiac Alliance, which provides sustainable health-care solutions for children with cardiac diseases in low- and middle-income countries, to create opportunities where few existed before.
Filter out the noise
Jivani-Tajdin’s approach is child-centred and, at times, can clash with established norms in the country. In Congo, as in Canada, she also battles the myth of “white hair wisdom” – the idea that a young-looking, five-foot tall woman with a pink purse cannot be a competent and knowledgeable cardiologist.
“I just have to focus on doing my job,” she says. “Sometimes you just have to filter out the noise and do what’s best for the child.”
Jivani-Tajdin learned early on in her missions about the challenges of integrating into entrenched health systems and navigating existing politics. “In the middle of my first mission, I started to cry,” she says. “Not because the heart surgery was hard. Somehow, the politics of all this was harder than heart surgery.” Jivani-Tajdin has received death threats and anonymous phone calls telling her to leave the country because she was offering free heart surgery. “Those of us who work here are all too familiar with the various obstacles, but you just keep your eye on the prize and keep going.”
In Congo, the Foundation sets up screening clinics and she sends out WhatsApp and radio messages to let local families know that they can see her directly, without a referral. She treats as many children as she can during that time. “When children initially come to see me, some can't run or walk to school. Then you do their surgery and their colour changes, and they are suddenly kicking a ball or running in just 24 to 48 hours. That's why you do it. There's really no other reason.”
Whole family working together
Before she had her own children, Jivani-Tajdin “lived” at the hospital, spending up to 18 hours a day there. “I can’t do that anymore,” she says. “I have two babies, and I’m grateful that my mom comes and handles my childcare while I perform surgeries. My mom says, ‘I’ll take care of your kids so you can take care of other people’s kids.’ It’s like a whole family working together to bring this vision to life.”
Her husband is also a huge help, especially when it comes to managing the operational work at the clinics and speaking with politicians. “He manages all the stuff at the top, allowing me to be the face to the children, the parents and the surgical team.”
After her undergraduate health degree from the University of Waterloo, Jivani-Tajdin went on to earn medical and master’s degrees from Saba University School of Medicine, then moved to New York for her pediatric residency before completing her pediatric cardiology fellowship in Miami. She advises students who are just starting to think about their careers to volunteer their time. "I feel like if you do things for the betterment of others, that it comes back to you."
“The world has become very selfish, but I still think that when you're uplifting others, you're uplifting yourself, too.”