Children in need of a heart transplant in New South Wales will no longer be forced to travel to Melbourne in search of life-saving treatment.
The state's first dedicated paediatric heart transplant service will open its doors at the Children's Hospital at Westmead in July, following an initial $1.8 million dollar funding package from the state government.
Until now, children and their families were required to travel to the nationally-funded Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne.
For cardiothoracic surgeon Ian Nicholson, who has worked at Westmead hospital for 30 years, it's an incredibly emotional step.
"[Travelling to Melbourne for treatment] is a major dislocation for families," Dr Nicholson said.
Some families have been forced to move to the Victorian capital for up to four months, with no guarantee the operation will be successful.
"Some families have refused to go to Melbourne to seek treatment because of that," he added.
Dr Nicholson said some children would have died because of the difficulty in accessing services and the pressure it puts on their loved ones.
Ahmad El Haj Youssef was one such cardiac patient.
The now 17-year-old desperately required a transplant in the midst of the 2021 COVID-19 pandemic.
When Victoria's border closed, the Westmead Children's Hospital, led by Dr Nicholson was forced to respond and successfully performed the operation.
"Dr Nicholson and his team brought Ahmad back from the dead," his mother Souha said.
Ahmad was one of five children who received a transplant at the hospital during the pandemic.
That was enough to convince Premier Chris Minns that NSW was capable of performing the surgeries.
"I've been assured by New South Wales Health that our investment of $1.8 million is designed to staff up and ensure that there are the people in place from July 1 this year," Mr Minns said.
The money will pay for medical personnel including surgeons and nutritionists.
"We're hoping to have this rolling out very quickly and we're confident that those time frames can be met with the expertise in place."
According to Health Minister Ryan Park, it "will change the outcome for many families who find themselves in a situation where transplant is needed".
Children under 12 will continue to travel to Melbourne for treatment while the service grows.
The state government says it will continue to contribute to the nationally-funded transplant centre in Melbourne.
