"Heart for you" brings hope to children in Long An

On the morning of June 28, a free screening program for congenital heart disease for children under 18 years old was opened at Van An General Hospital (Tan An city, Long An province).

This is the "Heart for Children" program to support free surgery for poor children under 18 years old in Vietnam; organize activities to screen for congenital heart disease for children.

The program was founded and operated by the Military Industry - Telecommunications Group ( Viettel ) and the Tam Long Viet Fund - Vietnam Television from 2008 to present.

“The program is for all children under 18 years old, with the goal of detecting children with congenital heart disease and in difficult circumstances. Viettel will support all surgery costs after verifying that the child is in difficult circumstances,” said Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Dinh Tu, Director of Viettel Long An.

With a system of nearly 1,000 Viettel stores nationwide, which are also the points of receiving applications from families of sick children requesting assistance from the program, Viettel consultants at the reception points will guide the implementation procedures, thereby shortening the time and minimizing travel costs for families.

At the opening ceremony, dozens of parents brought their children to be screened for heart disease by doctors from Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital and Van An General Hospital.

Mrs. Tran Thi Gai, living in Chau Thanh district, Long An, brought her granddaughter Dang Ngoc Nhu Y, over 3 years old, for a heart screening and said: the family has never taken the child for a heart check-up before, now that she has the opportunity, she should take the child for a check-up for peace of mind.

Nguyen Thi Thuy An, 17 years old, Chau Thanh district, went for a screening with her mother and uncle. Holding her medical results in hand, the family's mood was heavy. The doctor said that she had moderate to severe heart valve regurgitation and would return for a check-up after 6 months. Thuy An's mother shared that when she was young, she did not show any unusual symptoms. Recently, she often showed signs of fatigue and difficulty breathing when doing heavy work or talking loudly. Because her family's circumstances were difficult, she had never paid attention to going to the doctor before, and this was the first time she went to the doctor and discovered the disease.

Director of Long An Province Department of Health Huynh Minh Phuc informed: Although there have been many efforts in taking care of people's health, especially children, the locality still has many cases of children with congenital heart disease that have not been detected or have not been treated.

This screening program is a very practical and humane activity. “We are committed to working closely with the Organizing Committee to ensure that the organization is smooth, effective and safe. At the same time, we will continue to promote communication, encourage families to bring their children for examination, strengthen monitoring and post-screening care, and create conditions for children to access the best treatment methods,” shared Dr. Huynh Minh Phuc.

To be examined and advised on early treatment of congenital heart disease, cardiovascular experts recommend that children who have been detected by doctors at medical facilities, suspected of having congenital heart disease or have the following symptoms and manifestations should go for screening to determine the disease: Frequent coughing, wheezing that recurs many times; Abnormal breathing (rapid breathing, chest retractions when inhaling); Children often have pneumonia, bronchitis; Children show signs of slow feeding (lasting >30 minutes) or cannot finish feeding; Rapid breathing, sweating, especially after feedings; Children grow slowly, have pale, cold skin, sweat, and are often easily tired; Lips, tongue, and fingertips are blue; Shortness of breath when exerting themselves.

Launched in October 2008, "Heart for Children" is a humanitarian heart surgery program for disadvantaged children under 18 years old.

Over the past 17 years, the program has supported surgery costs for more than 7,600 pediatric patients and organized 113 free screening programs to detect congenital heart disease early for nearly 176,000 children in disadvantaged areas of the country.

With an average cost of surgery per case of up to 40 million VND. The program is implemented with funding from Viettel (committed to sponsoring 5 billion VND/year) and socialized resources will support all surgery costs for children with congenital heart disease in difficult circumstances.

In Long An, after screening, cases with indications for intervention/surgery and difficult circumstances will be guided by the program "Heart for Children" to complete the application for completely free treatment.

The free screening program for congenital heart disease for children under 18 years old took place on June 28-29./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/trai-tim-cho-em-mang-hy-vong-den-voi-tre-em-long-an-post1052328.vnp