KABUL (SW) – Families of children suffering from congenital heart defects have been frustrated by the lack of access to specialized heart care in their provinces across Afghanistan.
Many patients and their caregivers report having to travel long distances to capital Kabul to find the little available means of treatment.
Nazanin, a resident of Nimruz, is currently at Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital with her ailing child. She explains that the absence of heart care facilities in her province forced her to bring her child to Kabul for treatment.
“I took my child to hospitals in Ghor, Nimruz, and even Herat, but there was no improvement. Doctors in Ghor advised us to come to Kabul,” she said.
Maryam, from Kunduz, is also facing similar challenges, as her child is hospitalized due to a heart defect. “We visit the hospital every week. My child has been ill since birth. If we spend a week at home, the next week we are back in the hospital,” she lamented.
Officials from the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) report that over the past three years, 4,000 children with heart defects were treated both domestically and abroad.
Fazl al-Haq Maqsudiar, deputy spokesperson for the ARCS, said that currently, 14,000 children in Afghanistan are awaiting treatment. “Most of these children cannot be treated within the country, but we are working to facilitate their care. Children who can be treated here are sent to local hospitals every day,” he added.
Some doctors have highlighted the role of self-medication among pregnant women and consanguineous marriages as major contributing factors to congenital heart defects.
Ahmad Jawid, a cardiologist at Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital, emphasized the importance of proper prenatal care, explaining, “Heart diseases in children are often linked to maternal health. Mothers need to be vigilant about medication during pregnancy and avoid harmful drugs. Additionally, marrying close relatives is a significant cause of these conditions. In adults, factors such as high blood pressure, substance abuse, and poor dietary choices also contribute to heart disease.”
On the occasion of World Heart Day, September 29, the World Health Organization reported that high blood pressure affects approximately 1.3 billion adults aged 30 to 79 globally, making it a major risk factor for heart disease.
Previously, officials from the Ministry of Public Health stated that 21% of deaths in Afghanistan are attributed to heart diseases.
