Hospital all heart helping children from Sichuan
Eight children with congenital heart diseases from poor families have arrived in Shanghai for free surgery thanks to a charity program launched by the Sichuan authority and Shanghai Yodak Cardio-Thoracic Hospital.
The children between 1 and 9 years old will undergo detailed checks at the hospital, whose experts will work out individualized surgery plans to ensure the treatment is effective and improves life quality.
"We will try minimally invasive measures so trauma will be as little as possible for these children," said Dr Li Baojun, director of the hospital's cardio-surgery department.
Congenital heart disease is the leading inborn deformity in China. The incidence is 6 to 9 in every 1,000 newborn babies, which means there are 150,000 to 200,000 babies born with the disease each year. At present, there are more than 2 million children with congenital heart disease in the nation. Many of such children are from rural and outskirt regions.
"Such children suffer not only physical but also psychological problems, as the disease makes them unable to play and study like other children," Li said.
"Most children with congenital heart diseases have poor social ability and unstable emotions. Our program is to give them proper treatment in time to ensure they can live a life like healthy children as early as possible."
Medical staff checks a child arriving with the parents for charity heart surgery in Shanghai Yodak Cardio-Thoracic Hospital.
A nurse writes down the child's weight.
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