Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 4: With aim to create more and more awareness regarding the congenital heart diseases and methods for prevention and early diagnosis, a health checkup camp was organized by Head Department of Cardiology Dr Sushil Sharma at Bal Niketan Ved Mandir, Amphalla where caretakers and children were screened for any evidence of congenital heart disease and accordingly advised for further evaluation.
While interacting with the children, Dr Sushil stated that considering a birth prevalence of congenital heart disease as 9/1000, the estimated number of children born with congenital heart disease in India is more than 200,000 per year. Of these, about one-fifth are likely to have serious defect, requiring an intervention in the first year of life. Challenges to pediatric cardiac care include financial constraints, health-seeking behavior of community, and lack of awareness.
He further added that substantial proportion of births in India occur at home, and the infant is likely to die before the critical, ductus-dependent CHD is diagnosed. Fortunately, the rate of hospital deliveries have significantly increased due to several incentivized schemes by the Government of India. Ductus-dependent CHD may still escape detection as babies are often discharged earlier. Pre-discharge screening of newborns by pulse oximetry, which may pick up these CHDs, is often not practiced, especially in rural and semi-urban centers,” he added.
Others who were part of this Camp include Dr Nasir Ali Choudhary (Cardiologist) Dr Anitipal Singh (Orthopaedics) and Dr Dhaneshwer Kapoor. Paramedics and volunteers include Kamal Sharma, Raghav Rajput, Sahil Sharma, Rajnish Dogra ,Sandeep Pal, Rajkumar, Gourav Sharma, Amandeep Singh and Akshay Kumar.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
