AKUH Raises Funds to Reduce Preventable Child Deaths

The Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) hosted a golf tournament in Lahore to raise funds to support needy patients with congenital heart disease (CHD).

CHD refers to heart defects that are present at birth. One in three patients with this debilitating condition require urgent life-saving procedures within the first year of their life. Estimates suggest 60,000 infants are born in Pakistan with CHD every year, and 15,000 of them are critical.

As a national leader in paediatric healthcare, AKUH remains passionately dedicated to its core purpose – providing access to the absolute best healthcare to every child. AKUH launched its Mending Kids' Hearts campaign in 2015; and through partnerships and support of donors it has doubled the number of patients it treated through surgeries and CHD procedures. In 2017, AKUH treated over 675 CHD patients and over half of them received financial support through the AKUH's Patient Welfare Programme.

The event was attended by leaders in healthcare including AKUH CEO, Johannes (Hans) Kedzierski, and Dr Mahim Malik, the only female paediatric cardiac surgeon in Pakistan; and prominent donors and business executives including Allied Bank CEO, Tahir Hassan Qureshi who was the chief guest.

Reiterating her commitment to CHD awareness and treatment, Dr Mahim Malik said: "CHD has remained a largely ignored disease in Pakistan, even though over 60,000 babies are born with this problem every year. It is time we all take responsibility for these young lives and change the future of these children."

Sponsors like Allied Bank, donated to the Aga Khan University Hospital's (AKUH) Patient Welfare Fund for CHD. CEO Allied Bank, Mr. Tahir Hussain Qureshi, said: "It is saddening to see that young children continue to die from preventable diseases. Allied Bank supports this campaign to give children from all backgrounds fair access to healthcare."

Pakistan has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world. A recent UNICEF report noted that global deaths of newborn babies remain alarmingly high, particularly among the world's poorest countries. UNICEF singled out Pakistan as the riskiest country, saying that 1 out of every 22 newborns (46 out of 1,000) in Pakistan will die at birth. Yet, existing maternal and child health facilities across the country are poorly funded.