A surgeon who recently returned from a trip to Namibia to perform a number of heart surgeries said there's no better feeling than saving lives.
Mr Ram Dhannapuneni, a cardiac surgeon at Alder Hey Children's Hospital, recently visited Namibia as part of a team from charity Healing Little Hearts.
The team of eight performed 10 surgeries while in Namibia and passed on their expertise to the local teams in the country.
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Mr Dhannapuneni, 53, told the ECHO it's the most rewarding aspect of his career and he gets feelings of "fulfilment and satisfaction" whenever he performs a surgery abroad.
Mr Dhannapuneni said thousands of children are born with heart defects each year around the world - but not all children are fortunate to have access to a public health system like the NHS.
He said: "In our country we have the great NHS where people don't need to worry about paying.
"But in other countries they spend a fraction of the money on their health care systems and people cannot afford private healthcare.
"This means thousands of children die each year when they could be operated on and given the chance to lead a normal life.
"We know there's a great deal of need in countries around the world for children's heart surgery and we're happy to help."
The trip was funded by the parents of Emmie Violet - a baby who died when she was four-and-a-half months old.
The trip in her name was paid for by the fundraising efforts of Emmie Violet's parents who raised around £12,000.
Mr Dhannapuneni said: "We manage to keep children alive because of Emmy Violet's fundraising and the family want to give back to us for our efforts.
"The family are also sympathetic with families around the world and know how much the help they give will save lives."
As well as performing surgeries, Mr Dhannapuneni said a large part of the trips are to help train local staff to ensure the quality of care is sustainable.
He said: "We want to train the local people, so if we find a surgeon, a cardiologist, a nurse, we train them and will help them over the next few years.
"In the future they can then operate on children - and if they need help, we can support them by video link or WhatsApp.
"A big part of Healing Little Hearts is training local people to be sustainable so they can deliver the care themselves.
"It also allows us to learn as well - every place I go I see new things I can learn and bring back to my practice here."
Mr Dhannapuneni has worked at Alder Hey as a consultant for 11 years - and now calls the city his "home" and a "very special place".
For Mr Dhannapuneni nothing will beat the feeling of saving a life.
He said: "Doing these operations abroad will make me a better professional as I'm forced to work in unfamiliar situations.
"When you see the gratitude the children and their families express to you, I can't describe how happy it makes me feel.
"There is no better feeling."
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