30.5% OF INFANT DEATHS CONTRIBUTED BY CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE

Heart Diseases remain the number #1 killer in Malaysia. According to the recent WHO data published in 2018, the number of Coronary Heart Disease deaths in Malaysia reached 34,766 (or 24.69 percent of total deaths). 

Approximately 8 to 10 Malaysian children per 1,000 live births are also heavily affected by this disease. With 500,000 deliveries per year on average, the number of children born with congenital heart disease (CHD) is around 5,000 per year, with two-thirds requiring surgical intervention. As a result, the number of children who need surgery each year ranges between 2,000 and 3,000.

The primal causes of this illness and how it was first detected varied for each baby. As extracted from Institut Jantung Negara official website, 

"In most cases, something has gone wrong in the early development of the fetus. For example, some heart conditions are due to faulty genes or chromosomes. But often, we don't understand why the baby's heart hasn't developed normally." 

"Some congenital heart defects are now detected during pregnancy during an ultrasound scan (usually at the 20-week mark), but they are not always discovered until the baby is born. In addition, some conditions may not be discovered until the child is an adult." 

Common heart defects occur in children or infant: 

1. Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) 

- A VSD is a hole in the wall that separates the heart's two lower chambers.

2. Pulmonary Valve Stenosis

- A heart valve that has thickened or fused and does not fully open. The pulmonary valve allows blood to flow from the heart to the pulmonary artery, leading to the lungs.

3. Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) 

- A "hole" in the heart's wall separates the top two chambers.

4. Tetralogy of Fallot 

- A heart defect consists four problems: 

• A gap between the lower chambers of the heart
  
• A blockage between the heart and the lungs
  
• The aorta (blood vessel) is positioned above the hole in the lower chambers.
  
• The muscle surrounding the lower right chamber thickens excessively.
  

To date, the frequency of this illness has increased by 20% since the 1980s, and more than 12,000 children died in 2014 from congenital heart conditions. There are only a few specialist hospitals to perform pediatric cardiothoracic surgeries in Malaysia. Hence, the waiting list is unacceptably longer to get the baby operations. Moreover, the cost of cardiothoracic surgery in private hospitals is expensive. Thus, limit the chances of recovery, especially for low-income groups who cannot afford it all. As a result, some children died while awaiting surgery.  

WE AIMED TO HELP MORE PATIENTS AND THE FAMILIES

Some of the infants that have successfully undergo treatment under Heart Fund

MyFundAction through MyHeart is aiming to collect as much as RM200,000 monthly that may benefit 1-5 patients with heart disease. This fund will be used to cover their operation and treatment cost

You may choose to chip in the following fund from the following packages based on your ability:

NOBLE PACKAGE RM 300

GENEROUS PACKAGE RM 100

EMPHATY PACKAGE RM 50

KINDNESS PACKAGE RM 30

MyFundAction, in collaboration with MyHeart, would like to shed the lights of hope, especially for the parents to see their beloved children in a pink of health like others.  Through your kindness, 'Heart Fund' will support more patients to afford their costly surgery and follow-up treatment to allow them to live a better life.