The project aims to save the lives of 40 children to help them kickstart a new life.
The “Little Hearts” project in Indonesia has saved the lives of 15 children so far, Qatar Red Crescent Society [QRCS] announced.
15 children treated under #QRCS’s Little Hearts project in #Indonesia pic.twitter.com/X9yvUxaw4z
— الهلال الأحمر القطري (@QRCS) March 1, 2021
Held in cooperation with the Indonesian Red Cross Society [PMI] and Indonesia’s Ministry of Health [MOH], the $106,560 project was launched earlier this year and aims to treat 40 children with congenital heart defects, including ventricular septal defects [VSD] and patent ductus arteriosus [PDA].
“We hope that such a partnership with QRCS will continue to create opportunities of a better life for those who had ailing hearts since their birth,” said Sudirman Said, Secretary-General of the Indonesian Red Cross Society in the launching ceremony.
The children are provided with treatments that involve performing catheterisations at the National Cardiac Center Harapan Kita [NCCHK] in Jakarta, essentially saving their lives.
QRCS announced that the 15 children who successfully completed the heart operations ranged from just one month to eight years of age, noting the procedures were performed by local medical specialists in cardiac catheterisation for children.
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In this project alone, three groups of 16 specialised doctors and consultants are involved to ensure the children’s safety, covering a range of specialties from pediatric cardiology, diagnostic non-invasive cardiology, to anesthesia.
The project comes as a response to worrying statistics about the number of congenital heart diseases (CHD) in Indonesia, which are thought to be on the rise. The average number of born-alive infants with CHD is nine out of 1,000.
The “Little Hearts” project, which is the first to be implemented in Indonesia, is part of the Medical Convoys program.
It includes providing treatment for those in need, performing surgeries in various medical specialisations, providing medical supplies and surgical equipment, as well as training medical professionals.
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