The health facilities in Pakistan are underwhelming will be an understatement. Congenital Heart Diseases (CHD) is the most common birth defect worldwide. CHD comprises structural anomalies of the heart. These anomalies include defects of the walls of the heart, chamber separation, heart valves which are present at the time of birth. In a country like Pakistan, where cardiac surgeons are dime a dozen, treating CHD can be a real challenge. According to a report, approximately 70,000 babies are born with various degrees of CHD each year. Moreover, 60% of these babies don’t live for more than a few years. This high mortality is an indication of the inadequate number of cardiac surgeons and the high cost of cardiac surgery in Pakistan.
Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Hospitals in Pakistan
According to a report in 2019, the country has only four institutions that have a pediatric cardiology section to treat these children. According to the children’s heart foundation, there is not even a single specialized pediatric cardiac surgery hospital in the country. The cherry on top is that there are less than 25 trained pediatric surgeons working right now. The queue of patients waiting for surgery has surpassed 90,000 by the end of 2020. Comparing the number of cases and the standard of care, we can see a big void that needs to be filled as soon as possible. Consider this, the pediatric cardiology ward of Lahore’s biggest public hospital is so crowded that a number of mothers have to crouch on the floor with their sick children. The condition of these cardiology hospitals is more adverse than one can even imagine. One has to face issues such as lack of sufficient space, absence of ventilators, and inadequacy of surgeons. All this adds to the misery of families that are already facing adversity.
Finding the Best Pediatric Cardiologist in Pakistan
CHDs are on the rise in developing and low-to-middle-income nations, owing to deteriorating maternal health. Teenage pregnancy, consanguineous marriage, overt diabetes mellitus, maternal obesity, maternal stress, history of previous CHDs/other congenital anomalies, non-intake of folic acid in the first trimester, and advanced maternal and paternal age are among the modifiable risk factors reported for developing countries. This creates a situation where one struggles to find the best cardiologist available. You always try to opt for the best possible option when it comes to the health of your loved ones. What we need is to try our best to improve these health conditions. Government and public hospitals need to step up and build specialized pediatric cardiac units in hospitals. More and more specialized cardiac surgeons are required to fill in the gaps. This way we will be able to save hundreds of thousands of lives.
