Dhaka, Jan 14 (bdnews24.com) – The Dhaka Shishu (Children) Hospital is going to open a 17-bed 'Child Cardiac Centre' on Tuesday as part of its plan to expand services by adding surgical facilities to the 24-year-old cardiac care centre.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the centre, hospital director Manzoor Hussain told journalists on Saturday.
"It took time (to start the surgical services) due to financial and manpower crisis," the director said and added that the hospital has been offering cardiac care only for children since 1987.
The expansion would add sophisticated diagnostic facilities for cardiac complications, complicated cardiac surgeries and intensive care support.
"Two cardiac surgeons will perform surgeries initially," Manzoor said. "We will try to keep costs lower. It may be around Tk 80,000 to Tk 90,000."
The director said they decided to build Tk 100million centre after prime minister told them to expand the services at a function in Oct 2009.
Currently, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University have the facilities and expertise to conduct cardiac surgery on children at cheaper rates.
Some private hospitals do have the facilities, but the prohibitive prices keep people away from them.
"At least 90 percent children born with heart defects die before five years of age due to lack of treatment," Manzoor said.
As there is no national statistics to ascertain the number and prevalence of children with birth heart defects, the director considering global trend said, at least 25,000 to 30,000 new patients add every year.
Replying to a question, he said there are differences in adult and child cardiac procedures.
"Child cardiac surgery is a complex and more risky procedures. It's new in Bangladesh. That's why we don't have surgeons available for the task," he said and that those who are pioneers in child cardiac surgery are adult cardiac surgeon.
"At one stage they took hands-on training and dedicated themselves to this surgery," he said and that the Shishu Hospital centre would impart training to create new child cardiac surgeries.
Newly appointed surgeon Dr Khalifa Mahmud Tarik told bdnews24.com that he took hands-on training from senior surgeons at big private hospitals.
"(As a cardiac surgeon) apart from adult surgeries, I had to operate upon children at my previous places of work," he said.
Experts say most of the birth heart defects can be prevented by rubella virus prevention by immunizing women of childbearing age.
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