Congenital heart disease (CHD) is an umbrella term used to denote structural and functional defects of the heart and the great vessels entering and/or exiting the heart.
The causes are genetic, involving a myriad interacting unpredictable complex processes.
The role of the environment in its pathogenesis has become apparent through varying entangled mechanisms termed under the 'epigenetics' collective.
Commonly, diagnosis is made after birth.
It is, however, critical that the diagnosis is made during pregnancy, so that a condition-tailored care package could be prescribed on individual merit.
This is not always feasible.
It is nevertheless advisable that all expectant mothers are booked for routine antenatal check-ups, so that at-risk pregnancies can be identified and referred accordingly.
High-risk factors include mothers with a previous baby diagnosed with CHD, diabetes mellitus, medications known to cause heart disease in a developing foetus, multiple pregnancies, e.g. twin pregnancies, and pregnancies conceived through in-vitro fertilisation.
There is an extraordinarily high incidence and prevalence of congenital heart disease among children and adults in Namibia.
The lesions range from simple to very complex.
In the severe end of the continuum are lesions that are incompatible with survival and/or life.
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Equally, some cannot be definitively corrected and are prescribed palliation strategies, with many life-long complications, eventually resulting in premature death.
The management of this entity of medicine is highly specialised.
Sadly, the trained critical human capital required to look after this population is not available en masse in Namibia.
Equally important are the material and infrastructural resources to guarantee even access and distribution.
Advocacy is a national call, involving multiple stakeholders from the central government as principal policymaker, corporates, non-governmental institutions, individuals and communities.
Advocacy is multi-pronged, and would involve strategies such as awareness dissemination, research and training, as well as strategic partnerships on resources.
The Namibia National Children Hearts Trust was established in alignment with, and to support the Ministry of Health and Social Services in delivering accessible, affordable, effective, efficient, equitable, patient-centred, quality, safe and sustainable care irrespective of socio-economic status.
This agenda fully affiliates with the global agenda towards universal health coverage.
The trust can only leverage its position with collective support from multiple-stakeholders' engagement.
- Dr Fenny Shidhika specialises in paediatric cardiology.
