Children's Heart

Project in brief: 8 country of intervention. 

Cambodia, Eritrea, Myanmar, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe: life-saving treatment, capacity building and training. 

Italy and Romania: life-saving treatment for children from abroad

Goals: To save children with serious heart defects, born in developingCountries and to enablelocal hospitals to be autonomous, through capacity building and training by volunteer doctors who work alongside local doctors.

Congenital Heart Difects (CHD) is the most common cause of major congenital anomalies, representing a major global health problem.

An estimated 1 million children is born every year affected by heart diseases .

In developed countries, congenital heart disease is easily diagnosed (even prenatally) and successfully treated, with pediatric cardiac surgery if necessary.

In developing countries are often lacking prepared medical staff and adequate health facilities. Years can go by just to obtain a correct diagnosis.

Significant Data

• 50% of children born with severe heart conditions are at a greater risk of death if not treated in the first years of their life; others face serious development problems.
• The differences in mortalityrate between the industrialized countries and developing countries are striking, from 3-7% to 20% respectively.
• Strong differences in the availability of congenital heart surgeons across the world: 1 for 3,500,000 individuals in North America and Europe, 1:25,000,000 in Asia and 1:38,000,000 in Africa.

Overallresults 2005-2018 

• 2.066children treated and saved since 2005
• 205 children treated and saved in 2018