Working together for healthy hearts.

(Baonghean.vn) -Despite the intense heat over the past few days, parents still brought their young children to the designated locations for screening for congenital heart disease, a program sponsored by Bac A Commercial Bank and TH Milk Food Joint Stock Company.

This is the second year that the sponsoring organizations have implemented this program. The Nghe An Children's Protection Fund and the Cardiovascular Center - E Hospital in Hanoi have made many innovations in their organization, creating the most favorable conditions for children to receive medical examinations, especially those in remote and mountainous areas.

Drawing on lessons learned from the previous screening for congenital heart disease in children (held in August 2012), this time the Provincial Children's Protection Fund coordinated with district and town health centers to conduct screenings directly at the facilities. Children showing suspected symptoms of heart disease were given appointment slips for group examinations by specialists and doctors from the Cardiovascular Center - E Hospital in Hanoi. In addition, at each examination cluster, officials from the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and health workers distributed numbered tickets to patients for examination and provided patient information. At the Thai Hoa Town Health Center and the Dien Ky Commune Health Station, examinations were also divided according to specific districts… With these methods, the overcrowding seen in the previous event was avoided, and conditions were also created to facilitate more thorough screening and consultation for patients by the specialists and doctors from the Cardiovascular Center.



Screening for congenital heart disease in children in the Do Luong area.



Ultrasound detected congenital heart disease in the Dien Chau cluster.

Mr. Ly Ba Re, from Huoi Dun village, Huoi Tu commune (Ky Son district), had to leave a day early to bring his 7-year-old grandson, Ly Y Xia, to the Do Luong District Humanitarian Center for a heart disease screening. Mr. Re recounted: “Last month, we heard from officials at the District Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Department that we could bring our grandson to the town for a screening and receive an appointment to go to Do Luong for further examination. The family was overjoyed because the doctor from Hanoi would be examining him for free, but we were also very worried because he needs heart surgery, and our family is poor, so we hope to receive financial support for the surgery from the program.”

It is known that, to help families in the mountainous districts of Anh Son, Con Cuong, Tuong Duong, and Ky Son bring their children for medical examinations, the Do Luong Humanitarian Center has meticulously prepared accommodation and meals right at the center. Dr. Phan Thao Nguyen, head of the heart disease screening team from the Cardiovascular Center - E Hospital, said: "This is a humanitarian activity, so the medical staff in the team are not afraid of difficulties and are enthusiastically working wholeheartedly for the job. In Thai Hoa town, even though it was late, we still waited for many patients from Que Phong district who arrived late by bus to screen their children."



The Nghe An Children's Protection Fund and the Cardiovascular Center of E Hospital guide patients through surgical procedures.



The clinics for heart disease screening are always crowded, but there is no pushing or shoving.

With the timely support of all levels and sectors, and the efforts of the Cardiovascular Center – E Hospital in Hanoi, during the 3-day congenital heart disease screening program in Nghe An (from May 13-15), 977 screenings were conducted, and through ultrasound, 89 cases requiring heart surgery were detected and recommended. Mr. Nguyen Huu Minh – Director of the Nghe An Children's Protection Fund said: “After conducting the screening at the cluster level, the Children's Protection Fund will coordinate with relevant levels and sectors to assess family circumstances. Individuals and cases from poor families and remote areas will be prioritized for heart surgery at E Hospital in Hanoi.”

The program to provide heart surgery for children with congenital heart disease, sponsored by Bac A Bank and TH Milk Food Joint Stock Company, is being implemented in Nghe An province with a total sponsorship of 5 billion VND. With this meaningful initiative, in the future, more children in our province will have the opportunity to undergo heart surgery and live healthy lives.

Hoang Vinh