Pakistan, along with India, China, and Indonesia contributes to about 50% of children born with heart diseases in the world, Agha Khan University’s Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery Dr Muneer Amanullah said here on Monday.
“Around 15,000 to 20,000 of such infants born in the country were said to have critical problems requiring surgery or intervention in the first year of life.”
“About 60,000 children, one in every 100 infants born in Pakistan every year, are born with cardiovascular disease resulting in the deaths of many babies without any diagnosis,” the senior surgeon said.
The internationally reported incidence of congenital heart disease (CHD) is 8 to 10 per 1,000 live births.
Dr Amanullah acknowledged that since most births in the country take place in villages, remote areas, or ill-equipped basic health units, the true prevalence of CHD at birth is unknown and accurate data is not available.
He stated that a lack of awareness and inadequate diagnostic and treatment facilities compound the problem, and many Pakistani CHD patients do not survive beyond their first few years.
Dr Amanullah said that CHD occurs during the formation phase of the foetus in the early stages of pregnancy. “Hence, certain anomalies leading to the condition can be prevented through proper care towards vaccination, adequate intake of folic acid and iodine through food or supplements,” he elaborated. “This may considerably help protect babies against defects, particularly in the phase of heart formation.”
The surgeon appreciated the civil society members who came together over a game of golf for supporting the Aga Khan University’s Mending Kids Hearts initiative.
