At least 50,000 babies have been getting birth with heart diseases in the country every year while 20 to 25 cases per thousand live birth with mild to severe form of congenital heart diseases.
Some child cardiac physicians disclosed the information in a press conference held in the auditorium of Central Hospital in the capital yesterday.
They also said 40% of such type of the cases are from low income family and they warned of appearing the problem to the country alarmingly day by day.
In the press briefing, National Professor Dr MR Khan announced the inauguration of a trust titled Child Heart Trust Bangladesh-CHTB, who is the chairman of the trust.
In his speech, MR Khan said as heart disease rate in children has been increasing in the country and the treatment cost is so expansive, many parents can not afford it. For this reason, the physicians concerned in a union formed the trust to help them.
He opined that the trust is wholly committed to giving free treatment to the poor and they want to established a specialised child heart hospital in the future.
MR Khan requested everyone to donate money to the trust for the impoverished parents who want to continue their children’s treatment, which started its journey on June 26 this year.
In another speech, paediatric cardiologist Dr Nurun Nahar Fatema said the trust will also arrange the experts’ facilities from abroad to cover the vacuum of physicians in this arena.
“This is the high time to come forward for action against the disease and the government should prioritise it for the sake of the health sector,” Dr ABM Abdus Salam, secretary general of the trust.