Abstract:
Most children with congenital heart disease have a good
outcome if treated appropriately, however the majority of
children with heart disease in South Africa do not receive
appropriate care. This is related to serious deficiencies in
the mechanisms and training for early detection as well
as a major shortage of skilled personnel to care for these
children at all levels. Most public sector hospitals are
unable to cope with the number of patients requiring
surgery, mainly due to inadequate theatre time allocation
and intensive care facilities. Key interventions to address
these deficiencies include:
1. S trategies to improve both the training and the retention
of all professionals involved in the care of congenital
heart disease.
2. Programmes to increase awareness of both congenital
and acquired heart disease in children among health
care personnel.
3. Ensuring appropriate infrastructure and equipment
designed for children with congenital heart disease are
available.
4. Development of congenital heart surgery as an independent
subspecialty with dedicated resources and personnel.
5. Dedicated intensive care facilities for paediatric heart
surgery.
In addition, development of appropriate patterns of referral,
stimulation of research and positive private-public partnerships
are all necessary to ensure that appropriate care is
delivered.
