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Showing posts from April, 2023

Understanding Congenital Heart Disease: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments

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Congenital heart defects refer to defects in the heart that children are born with. These are one of the most common congenital defects globally. In India too, 200,000+ children are born with a congenital heart defect (CHD). These are the numbers of the cases that are recorded – there maybe many more which go undiagnosed and hence untreated. Only 25 per cent of the children diagnosed with a congenital heart defect are able to get the required treatment. A lack of awareness and access to resources are the biggest challenges in children getting timely treatment. Organisations like Genesis Foundation, a congenital heart foundation India has been taking steps to both build awareness and provide financial treatment to those who cannot afford the cost of treatment. The treatment for CHD is expensive and families that do not earn enough to meet their daily needs have to depend on funds they receive as a congenital heart disease donation to support the treatment. Symptoms of Congenital Heart

The role of NGOs in improving the congenital heart defects landscape in India

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Congenital Heart defects are the most common birth defects in the world and in India. And yet, not many people are aware of this leading defect both among the general masses and the medical fraternity which forms the first line of medical care servicing people across the country.  In India every year more than 200,000 children are born with a heart defect. The burden of disease is so massive that the management of this condition will require a collaborative effort by the Government, corporate sector, Children’s Healthcare Foundation and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOS).  There are a few NGOs who have been working for the last many decades to create am impact in this often overlooked yet critical health concern. Genesis Foundation and the Children Heart Foundation are some of these. The main areas where these NGOs have been able to create a huge impact are: 1) Build Awareness: awareness about congenital heart defects is scanty amongst the general population. When this disease hi