A staggering number of Pakistani children, exceeding 70,000 annually, are born with congenital heart disease (CHD), according to healthcare professionals. This alarming statistic highlights a critical public health concern in the country.
Professor Dr. Sohail Khan Bangash, head of the pediatric surgery unit at the National Institute of Cardiology (NICVD), Karachi, sheds light on the breakdown of these cases. He reveals that roughly 80% of these children have holes in their hearts, while the remaining 20% suffer from various other heart ailments. Ages of affected children range from newborns to 14 years old.
