SAVE THE CHILDREN
Congenital heart diseases (CHD) account for as much as 28 per cent of all birth defects. The incidence of CHD is around 8-12 per 1000 live births. In India, every year, approximately 240,000 children are born with CHD, of which one-fifth need early intervention to survive the first year of life. These estimates are based on regional hospital-based data and the actual numbers may be higher considering the high rates of maternal infections during pregnancy and a significant percentage of unsupervised home deliveries where critical CHD may escape detection.
The magnitude of the problem is further compounded by a large pool of older infants and children who may have survived, despite no intervention.
Taking the prevalence of CHD into consideration, there are an estimated 25 million (2.5 crore) children, adolescents and adults with untreated CHD in India, which poses a huge challenge and burden on the patients, their families and on society.
If access to screening, early diagnosis and treatment is available, the baby has a 95% chance of survival with good long-term outcome.
Such advanced care is practically unavailable to over 90% of babies born in developing countries, including India.
A number of cardiac centers have been developed over the last 10 years. However, most are in the private sector, and are not geographically well-distributed.
Challenges to pediatric cardiac care include financial constraints, health-seeking behavior of community, and lack of awareness. Government of India is taking a number of steps for improving health of children through its various program and schemes that are likely to benefit children with congenital heart disease, especially those who are vulnerable and marginalized.
It will not be out of place here to mention that the number of children born with CHD in Asia have no or minimal access to healthcare, which ultimately results in a much higher child mortality rate compared with the rest of the world.Hence Rotary has to play a pivoted role in addressing this issue.
In Mumbai, Rotary District 3140 now 3141/3142 started Pediatric Heart Surgery programme in 2012-13 named as “Touching Little Hearts”. Initially limited to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital (KDAH) at Andheri, District 3141 and 3142 are now undertaking such surgeries in many hospitals. Currently, apart from KDAH, Pediatric Heart Surgery programme is going on in SRCC Hospital, Haji Ali; Wadia Hospital, Parel; Fortis Hospital. Mulund and Jupiter Hospital, Thane and some more hospitals. Starting with just 50 surgeries in 2012-13, the programme has gone from strength to strength in subsequent years.
It is estimated that annually, Rotary Districts 3141 and 3142 supports about 1500 surgeries in all these hospitals costing more than Rs.30 Crores – undoubtedly the largest philanthropic activity of Rotary in this part of the Rotary World.
India is a country with more than a billion population and a crude birth rate of 27.2/1000 population. This would amount to about 28 million live births every year. Going by an
incidence of congenital heart disease (CHD) of 8/1000 live births, we could expect about
180,000 children born with an abnormal heart from these, nearly 60,000–90,000 suffer from critical CHD requiring early intervention.
Apart from Rotary District 3141/42 there are some more Districts in the county which are involved in this activity under Gift of Life or Save the little angels. We do appreciate the support Rotary is receiving from some of the corporates under ÇSR and the support from the Rotary Foundation. All the same we must realise that there are very few Charitable organisations in India which are working for the children born with this disease.
Let Rotary promote this project whole heartedly and save the children. Let’s support and help Rotary to heal little hearts and give a chance of life to children born with Congenital Heart Defects.