How to deliver the best: a call for action for congenital heart disease treatments in India

Abstract

Most of the children born with congenital heart disease are expected to lead normal, productive lives if treated in time. However, the privilege of early diagnosis and timely intervention is restricted to children born in developed countries. India has one of the highest birth rates in the world and, considering that the prevalence of congenital heart disease does not vary in different regions, a large number of babies with congenital heart disease are born in India every year. It is estimated that approximately 80,000 newborns with heart disease need early intervention to survive their first birthday. Less than 10% of these actually undergo intervention. Providing optimal care for all these children is a daunting task, and requires funds and proper planning at various levels of the healthcare system. Currently, India only has 22 cardiac centers for children with heart diseases and only three of these are funded by the government. This article describes the magnitude of the problem, lacunae in the current state, and challenges and opportunities for providing care to this large population of children.

Keywords: India; congenital heart disease; developing countries.