TIANJIN, China, June 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 29, 2014, the Journey of 'Heart' summing-up meeting for the 10th anniversary of Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) screening among children in Tianjin was held in TEDA International Cardiovascular Hospital (hereinafter referred to as 'TEDA'). The benefited children and their parents, the representatives of the donating enterprises and individuals as well as the supervising officials of Tianjian municipal government and Tianjin Binhai New Area got together to witness and sum up the accomplishments of TEDA in the screening and charity assistance to children with CHD during the past ten years.
On that day, TEDA provided free ultrasound follow-up examinations to dozens of impoverished CHD pediatric patients from the downtown and suburban areas of Tianjin city, when the cardiac surgeons undertook diagnosis on them and applied for charity assistance for the those who needed an operation. The fourth screening car dedicated specifically for mobile screening was put into service on the same day.
A pioneer in China to achieve 'Zero Mesh' screening of newborns in Tianjin city
CHD is one of the dreaded diseases that endanger the health and lives of children. Before 2004, there was no health institution or network in China to carry out CHD screening. As a result, a large number of children with CHD suffered from dysplasia or even died. In August of 2004, TEDA invited Tianjin Women and Children's Health Centre to begin a strategic cooperation on CHD screening for children in Tianjin.
At first, only The Women and Children's Health Care Center and TEDA were equipped for the screening. To provide timely examination for children from Tianjin suburbs, since 2007, the two institutions have purchased 4 screening buses. By 2009, it has achieved 'Zero Mesh' screening for the babies born in the year, making Tianjin city the first provincial institution in China winning that honor. This pioneering project not only enables the children with CHD to get timely treatment, but also makes a great contribution to the collection of valuable information on CHD epidemiology and the heart development status of the children. During 10 years of operation, the three screening buses have travelled 463,000 km and screened 667,000 children of Tianjin, which found the CHD positive rate was 25.7%.(The data is as of end April, 2014 and will be constantly updated), far higher than the traditionally reported 6-9%.
Providing surgeries to orphaned and impoverished CHD children patients under the charity programs
Bo Yuxin, a 6-year-old girl from Daliang town of Wuqing District, Tianjin city, once suffered from complex CHD with a complete endocardial cushion defect and secondary pulmonary hypertension. Her anxious parents took her to a number of hospitals one after another in Beijing and Tianjin only to be told that the disease was too complicated to be treated or that the surgery cost was too much to afford for this poor family. Fortunately, after learning about the situation of this family during a visit to Wuqing district, the cadres of The Promoting Committee for the Reconstruction of Old Towns helped them contact TEDA, which offered little Yuxin the chance to receive free treatment and regain her health.
Zhang Zhiguang, a 14-year-old boy living in Ying Ge Zhai of Fang Yu Town, the most remote village in the mountainous area of Ji County, once suffered from tetralogy of fallot, a complicated form of CHD that seriously affected his growth. At the age of 7, he was only 1 meter tall and weighed only 12.5 kilograms. Unable to do labor work due to poor health, his father could only make a living by collecting scraps. His mother was unemployed. To support the poor family and make money for the treatment of Zhiguang, his brother, who was four years older than him, dropped out from school to work. His father took him to many hospitals, but the surgery cost, which was hundreds of thousands, was overwhelming for this family. By chance, his father learnt about the charity project TEDA was engaged in. He contacted TEDA and was then offered the opportunity for free treatment of Zhiguang, who finally was cured after the surgery in December 2007. Growing taller and increasing in weight, he said shyly, "When I was in the hospital, I hated Dr. Lu (the attending doctor), because he gave me injections all the time. It hurt so much. But now, I can understand and don't hate him anymore, as he cured me and I thank him very much."
During the past ten years, more than 300 children with CHD were cured of the disease and returned to health with the help of The Women's Federation and The Promoting Committee for the Reconstruction of Old Towns of Tianjin city, the assistance of the TEDA medical staff and the funding of the Charity fund and the donating enterprises and individuals.
The past ten years has witnessed the continuous exploration of new modes and channels for medical aid by TEDA. By cooperating with the civil affairs departments of different levels and the charity organizations home and abroad, it has carried out a series of programs, such as "Tomorrow Plan", "Love Blesses Children's Hearts", "The Hope of Loving Heart", "Loving 'Heart' Activity", "Medical Companion Service"," Charity Assistance Project" , "The Tree of Life", "Macdonald Fund", "The Great Love of Heart" etc, to assist orphaned and impoverished children with CHD and perform social responsibilities. To date, about 6,700 CHD children patients from 27 provinces, cities and autonomous regions in China have been cured through surgeries under those programs, the record of the number of children with CHD aided by a single domestic hospital.
The humanitarian spirit of TEDA and the noble selfless dedication of the medical staff is fully embodied in those programs, which represents the medical levels and above all, perfectly illustrates the public-welfare orientation and social responsibility of the hospitals. By continuously adhering to the motto of "Saving people with Philanthropism", TEDA's staff will work harder to give back to the People and take good care of the patients with sincere service and provide orphaned and impoverished CHD pediatric patients with more chances to return to health.
