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Healthy Hearts, Happy Kids is a project that aims to support the prevention and treatment of children enrolled in the Pediatric Specialty Hospital Foundation. For more than a decade, the foundation has lacked the necessary equipment to care for this population. This has resulted in a deficit in the services provided by the foundation's
specialists and a rise in cardiovascular diseases that compromise the health, growth, and development due to the susceptibility of this child population.
Therefore, the main objective of this project is to prevent and contribute to the early resolution of congenital or acquired heart disease in the pediatric population treated at the Pediatric Specialty Hospital Foundation through timely and effective diagnosis using a Cardiac Ultrasound System, with pediatric transducers and electrocardiograph (ECG) function.
In Venezuela, an average of 80,000 pediatric cardiology consultations are reported per year (60% for follow-up patients, 36% for new patients, and 4% for abstinence). Currently, there is a significant unmet demand for approximately 40 children and adolescents per week, which would represent 2,000 patients per year seeking free cardiology consultations.
The addition of the Cardiac Ultrasound with electrocardiograph would not only allow for a more accurate diagnosis of cardiac conditions in pediatric patients, but also provide them with appropriate and timely treatment, thus improving their quality of life and reducing the risk of complications.
The Pediatric Specialty Hospital Foundation (FHEP) is a specialty referral hospital for child and adolescent care in Zulia state and neighboring states such as Falcón, Táchira, Mérida, Lara, and Trujillo. Therefore, strengthening the pediatric cardiology clinic at the hospital would facilitate access to free, quality health services for children in the aforementioned regions, reducing the financial and emotional burden on families affected by
children with these conditions.
Specifically, in the case of pediatric patients with congenital or acquired heart disease, a timely diagnosis represents a lifeline. More accurately diagnosing cardiac conditions in pediatric patients will allow for appropriate and timely treatment, thereby improving their quality of life and reducing the risk of complications and death.
For this reason, the need to acquire a cardiac ultrasound and an electrocardiograph was determined, as the Pediatric Specialty Hospital has been an important reference point for the health of the country's low-income child population.
The patients' representatives (parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and other guardians) expressed their commitment and dedication to the care of their children. However, due to limited family financial resources and the high costs of private healthcare, medical care has become increasingly inaccessible for their children's tests and checkups. This is especially true for pediatric patients with congenital or acquired heart disease. More accurately diagnosing the cardiac conditions of pediatric patients will allow for appropriate and timely treatment.
Furthermore, the partnership with Sociedad Amigos is a key element in long-term sustainability, as they will ensure that the equipment has the required supplies and is properly maintained. FHEP has qualified technical personnel for the use of the equipment.
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