Around 1500 infants die before their first birthday annually due to congenital heart defects

One of the senior members of the Colombo South Rotary Club- S Rajanathan presenting a cheque as a contribution to the “ Rotary for Little Hearts” project to the District Governor Sushena Ranatunga at the event   

Around 1500 infants die before their first birthday annually due to much prevalent congenital heart defects in Sri Lanka, Rotary International- Sri Lanka District Governor- Sushena Ranatunga said.   

Quoting medical authorities Ranatunga said more than 3000 infants enter the Lady Ridgeway Hospital ( LRH) annually , out of which 1500 are not lucky enough to celebrate their first birthday. Ranatunga was speaking at an event held in Colombo in connection with the “ Little Hearts ‘project which is aimed at expanding the Pediatric Cardiac Care service of LRH. “ The primary objective of this initiative is to ensure that every child in Sri Lanka has access to timely, compassionate, and world-class cardiac care, enabling them to lead healthy and fulfilling lives.   
 “Congenital heart defects are common in Sri Lanka, with around 3,000-3,500 children born every year with these conditions. Of these, 1,400-1,600 require open-heart surgery and another 800 need “Catheter-based interventions” he said.   

 “With timely and proper treatment using modern diagnostic, interventional, and surgical techniques, over 95 percent of these defects can be effectively treated, allowing children to reach adulthood without further complications,” District Governor added.   

“The ambitious project “ Rotary for Little Hearts” aims to raise US $ 1 million to expand Pediatric Cardiac care and Intensive Care services at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital (LRH) in Colombo, which has already collected a reasonable amount, which is still insufficient to complete the project. However, the cost of these surgeries, which can range from Rs.1 million to Rs. 3 million, is a significant barrier for many families.  The completion of Little Hearts, LRH’s Cardiac and Critical Care Complex will allow the hospital to provide timely treatment to our children in need.” he said.