AMMAN — The Third Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) - Middle East and North Africa Congress kicked off on Thursday in Amman. 

The event, organised by the Interventional Cardiovascular Innovation Group (ICIG) and the US Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), saw the participation of 57 speakers and over 350 specialist attendees, including 100 doctors from the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Yemen, Tunisia, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Canada. 

Addressing the gathering, Minister of Health Feras Al Hawari said that heart disease is the leading cause of death, both in the Middle East and around the world. Moreover, the problem is accelerating across the Arab region, due largely to the high prevalence of risk factors such as smoking, obesity, diabetes and blood pressure conditions. 

ICIG  President Hatem Abadi emphasised the leading role taken by military institutions in the development of cardiology throughout the Kingdom, and specifically with the Royal Medical Services, which opened its first cardiac centre in 1983, noting the 214-bed centre has six operating rooms and five rooms for catheterisation.