CHD Camp

Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in 2000 for better governance. However government is as good as the people it governs. Paediatric Cardiology camp at Ranchi gave me a glimpse into the health care services in the state.

Beyond that it also gave me an opportunity to understand the misinformation and stigmas that exist regarding congenital heart diseases (CHD).

During the last three decades, child survival improved significantly due to improvement in antenatal and neonatal care, control of vaccine-preventable diseases, acute respiratory tract infections and diarrhea-dehydration, and nutritional programs. However much needs to be done for congenital heart problems for improving infant mortality rate and Under 5 mortality rate.

Jharkhand with close to 40 million people does not have a single paediatric cardiac program.

The challenges are plenty beyond the resources.

The timing for surgery/intervention is crucial for CHDs.With passage of time, outcome gets compromised in many, while many children become inoperable. It was saddening to see a lot of them past an appropriate age of repair inspite of getting diagnosed on time.

Lack of awareness ,fear of open heart surgery in children, neglect of girl child, fear of getting stigmatised by the society and poverty were among the common reasons encountered for not taking treatment. The mindset of people and primary healthcare workers that a child with CHD is doomed and will never be able to lead a fruitful life causes delays in referrals. Illiteracy, gender-bias, local religious and socio-cultural practices affect the level of care received by children with CHD.

Scarcity of pediatric cardiac care professionals and pediatric cardiac centers has led to a huge demand-supply gap. Understanding the burden of CHDs and taking imperative steps at primary, secondary and tertiary levels will require a huge effort. Beyond all the mortality numbers, the morbidity and the impact on the lives of children as well as their families is immeasurable.

However inspite of all the challenges, there is a HOPE.

“Nobody makes a greater mistake than he who does nothing because he could do only a little.”