For the first time, the Congenital Heart Defects Screening (CHDS) program, implemented by Vietnam Children’s Fund Social Enterprise, came to Tuyen Quang, bringing children in three communes – Lam Binh, Ham Yen, and Yen Son – greater access to cardiac healthcare services.
During the screening trip, doctors from the Cardiovascular Center at E Hospital examined 864 children, performed echocardiograms for 150 of them, identified 22 children with congenital heart defects, and determined that 7 children would require early intervention and treatment in the coming period. For children facing financial difficulties, the program will continue to accompany them and help provide access to the treatment they need.
Alongside the screening activities, volunteers from Crossian also joined the program, spending time playing with the children, coloring together, and giving them small gifts. These simple moments brought extra joy to a special day, giving the children memorable experiences alongside the care and attention they received for their health.
For many families in the mountainous communes of Tuyen Quang, such as Lam Binh, taking their children to specialized hospitals in Hanoi can be a 6-7 hour journey, often requiring multiple bus trips to reach their destination. This makes access to specialized medical examinations challenging for many families. Therefore, each mobile screening trip provides an opportunity for children to receive cardiac health checks right in their local communities, have potential heart abnormalities detected early, and receive appropriate medical advice and treatment guidance from specialist doctors.
Vietnam Children’s Fund Social Enterprise would like to express our sincere gratitude to Crossian Vietnam, the Cardiovascular Center at E Hospital, the Tuyen Quang Provincial Center for Social Work and Children’s Protection Fund, as well as local officials and teachers, for accompanying us on this journey and helping bring cardiac healthcare services closer to children in the community.
