Twenty-four children suffering from life-threatening heart disease were treated free of cost by a team of specialists from the United Kingdom over the past week.

The surgeries, coordinated by Chain of Hope Jamaica, were conducted at the Bustamante Hospital for Children and the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) in the Corporate Area.

Emma Scanlan, director of Chain of Hope, said the children who received heart surgeries were between the ages of six months and 12 years old.

The surgeries included open-heart procedures, closed-heart surgeries and a PDA surgery, which is closing a dot in the heart.

Ms. Scanlan told The Gleaner that the PDA surgery, done on Thursday at the UHWI, was said to be the first such procedure performed in Jamaica.

Chain of Hope consists of the volunteer medical teams from the U.K. who were on their 12th mission to the country to work alongside the local team in performing the surgeries.

Professor Marc de Leval and Victor Tsang, both of Great Ormond Street Hospital in the U.K., headed the 20-strong medical team consisting of volunteer doctors, nurses and technicians.