India has the world’s largest number of children with congenital heart defects. The incidence of CHD world-wide is 8/9 per 1000 live births. In India 26 million babies are born annually amongst which 2,20,000-2,50,000 are born with CHD. From these, over 70,000 are born with critical CHD and require intervention within the first year of life. (Reference: Saxena A. Congenital Heart Disease in India: A status report, Indian Pediatrics 2018, Volume 55, Page 1075-1082)
Congenital Heart Disease
Only a small percentage of the children diagnosed with chronic heart disease have access to timely and sophisticated cardiac treatment. Currently, advanced cardiac care is available to only a minority of such children and are mostly in the private sector and the facilities are not geographically well-distributed.
Financial constraints, community health-seeking behaviour, a lack of awareness and information are all obstacles to their receiving appropriate cardiac care. While this is a problem in both urban and rural settings, parents in rural settings tend to struggle a lot more, especially because of the astronomical medical costs involved and lack of facilities in their vicinity.
Often, late diagnosis because of home births and inadequate health care results in the child developing various symptoms and complications leading to a poor quality of life and in many cases early mortality. Sadly, the misconception even among some health care workers that these children are somehow doomed and cannot participate in life fully, creates further socio-cultural and gender discrimination in early diagnosis, treatment and intervention.
How Adhyan Supports
At Adhyan, we fund heart surgeries and medical care of children with congenital heart disease with the belief that these children once treated can lead normal, healthy fulfilling lives.
Baby Gowshika's Story
Baby Gowshika was born with Blue Baby syndrome. Earlier she was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot, a combination of four congenital heart defects, at a private hospital.
Gowshika underwent an uneventful surgery on 9 Dec 2022. All her cardiac problems were corrected. She became pink and her oxygen saturation came up to 100%. She can lead a normal life and her long-term outcome is good.
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