Despite dramatic leaps in medical science, Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) is still one of the world’s most prevalent birth defects—and it continues to test health systems with stark gaps in care. A new World Heart Federation report estimates CHD affected 2.3 million children in 2023, noting that survival has improved as diagnosis and treatment have advanced, even as deep inequalities persist, especially in low-income countries.
According to the report, the specialists and pediatric heart programs required to diagnose and treat CHD are often clustered in a handful of major cities across low- and middle-income countries, leaving vast regions without reliable services. “In most of Africa and many parts of Asia and Latin America, there are no institutions with the capability for infant and newborn heart surgery.”
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To underline what those disparities can mean in practice, the report highlights the experience of Martha Shiimi, a 33-year-old born in Namibia who lives with congenital heart disease. “For Martha to survive, they had to take her 800km across the border to South Africa, with assistance from the Namibian government, for surgery,” the report states.
