Minister of Public Health Ferozuddin Feroz on Saturday inaugurated a cardiac surgery center for adults at the French Medical Institute for Children (FMIC) in Kabul.

The minister said the unit is a vital step towards improving the healthcare services in Afghanistan.

"We hope that this center will treat the cardiac patients and prevent them from travelling abroad for their treatment ," Feroz noted.

Meanwhile, the French Ambassador to Kabul, Jean-Michel Marlaud, said the center was aimed at treating the Afghans with cardiac diseases.

"The heart of the project was capacity building because at the end of the day, this is an Afghan project, this is for Afghan people and it has to be run and managed by the Afghans themselves," said the ambassador.

The 17-bed center is facilitated with an equipped cardiac diagnoses unit.

"Except for emergency cases, all the patients undergo a simple checkup in this center," said Najibullah Jalalzai, a cardiac specialist.

A cardiac patient named Mohammad said he has traveled abroad twice for his treatment but didn't get satisfactory result.

He expressed hope the center will meet the needs of the citizens.

The FMIC was established in 2006 by a joint investment of Afghan and French governments.