DEEPAK ACHARJEE
At least four lakh children of the country are sufferings from congenital heart ailments and most of them are dying every year without proper treatment as there are no cardiac care units in the public hospitals for the children, according to the sources in the Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (NICVD).
Surgeons of the department of paediatric cardiology of the NICVD in cooperation with a team of surgeons of the Sharjah Charity International, UAE were being performed surgery to a number of poor children, who are sufferings from congenital heart diseases every year without fees.
A total of 238 children, who are sufferings

from congenital heart diseases, completed surgeries from 2011 to till date, head of the department of paediatric cardiology of the NICVD Professor Dr ABM Abdus Salam told The Independent. “This year 43 poor children of the country were surgeries by the surgeons of the Sharjah Charity International and the NICVD,” he said.
Chief paediatric cardiologist and head of pediatrics, Dubai government hospital, UAE Professor Dr Ahmed Mohammed Al Kamali led the surgeon team of the Sharjah Charity International, UAE performed the surgery to the poor children under a programme of the governments of Bangladesh and UAE.  Head of the department of paediatric cardiology of the NICVD Professor Dr ABM Abdus Salam was act as chief coordinator of the programme.
The expert doctor of the paediatric cardiology informed that they are preparing a proposal to establish a division under the NICVD to provide treatment for the children, sufferings from congenital heart ailments.
“We will submit the proposal to the authorities concerned especially to the welfare ministry for establishing a new division for the specialized treatment of the children through the director of the NICVD soon,” he said.
“We also urging the government to take necessary steps to open a new unit in each public hospitals for providing treatment to the children, suffering from congenital heart diseases,” he said.
Sources in the NICVD said, a number of children with such disease die within 30 days of their birth for lack of proper treatment and diagnosis.
Professor Dr ABM Abdus Salam informed that heart diseases in children are on the rise across the country for the last 20 years.
“At least 8 to 10 babies per thousand are being born with congenital heart diseases,” he added.
He also informed that congenital heart diseases of newborns are on the raise due to many pregnant mothers suffer from anemia, diabetes and malnutrition.
Congenital heart disease refers to structural or functional heart disease present at birth, even if first discovered later.
The incidence of congenital heart disease is the rate that refers to the number of children born with congenital heart disease related to the total number of births over a period of one year. Incidence varies from 6-8/1000 live births in various studies conducted in many centers.
In Bangladesh incidence was found up to 25/1000 live birth in one year in a study conducted in Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Dhaka.
Infant mortality rate of 54/1000 live births in the country is also contributed a lot by the death of infants from congenital heart disease.
There are eight common lesions which account for about 80 per cent of all congenital lesions.
They are in descending order of prevalence are ventricular septal defect VSD (30 per cent), patent ductus arteriosus PDA (10 per cent), atrial septal defect ASD (8 per cent), pulmonary stenosis PS (8 per cent), coarctation of aorta CoA (5-6 per cent), aortic stenosis AS (5-6 per cent), transposition of great arteries TGA (4-5 per cent).
The remaining 20 per cent or so is made of a variety of more rare or complex lesions.