Finding Support To Treat A Congenital Heart Defect In India

Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defects and yet awareness around the same continues to remain limited. Congenital heart defects refer to a series of defects in the way the heart is formed in a baby, implying that the baby is born with an abnormal structure of the heart which in turn impacts the way it is able to perform it’s functions. There are of different types of congenital heart defects and vary in their degree of severity.

Finding out that your child has been born with a problem in the heart is an extremely overwhelming and scary position to be in. It is but natural to be engulfed with a tsunami of questions and emotions. The first step that that many families struggle with is understanding what the condition means. Today in India there are many foundations working for children with congenital heart defects and these have been playing an important role in building awareness and disseminating information regarding this condition.

When your child has been diagnosed with a congenital heart defect there are a few things you can do:

• Connect with a good pediatric cardiologist: As soon as one has a diagnosis of a congenital heart defect, one needs to identify and connect with a good pediatric cardiologist. It is important to research well before choosing the doctor. Speaking to other families which have been in the same situation, talking to children heart foundations and researching on the internet are some of the ways one can do this.
• Understanding the type of defect: congenital heart defects are of different types and their treatment and management vary depending on the type of the defect. Hence it is important to understand what defect the child has. Again, speaking to the treating medical team can help or connecting with a foundation working for children with congenital heart defects can help provide some of this information. In India many of the children heart foundations have articles and blogs on their websites that attempt to explain the medical terminology in simple ways.
• Financial support: treatment for congenital heart defects can be very expensive. For families that do have insurance coverage, connecting to their insurance provider is a good way of assessing if they can get some financial support in covering the cost. If that is not an option, then contacting a children heart foundation is a good option as many of these foundations working for children with heart defects provide financial support for the treatment of these specially for families whose monthly family incomes do not permit them to support the cost of the treatment. One such children heart foundation is Genesis Foundation.
• Connecting with other families: speaking to with other families whose children have faced the same issue is a great way of finding support while dealing with a congenital heart defect diagnosis and management. They understand the worries and the processes and are at a good place to be your advisor and support system.
• Nutrition Expert: nutrition is the pillar to good health, and when faced with a heath condition food does become medicine. It is therefore important to connect with other parents and the treating medical team or connect with a good nutritionist to identify the nutritional requirements of your child and get the right help. Again, connecting with a children heart foundation can provide some leads here as well.

Staying in close connect with a good pediatric cardiology team and connecting with a foundation working for children with congenital heart defects is a good way of getting the right support for your child and yourself. There a few good children heart foundation in India – Genesis Foundation and Children heart foundation.

Genesis Foundation is a Not for Gurgaon based NGO that facilitates the medical treatment for critically ill under-privileged children suffering with Congenital Heart Defects