Help in the heart of the country

Help in the heart of the country

A mobile cardiac diagnosis and screening centre is helping Thais in rural areas by bringing the latest technology to them

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE
Help in the heart of the country

Thanat Sriyagoon, who works at a hospital in Uthai Thani, had worry etched on his face while waiting for his turn to take his five-month-old boy, Onsen, for a cardiac check-up.

Early detection of heart disease is highly recommended in preventing unnecessary disabilities and death, especially in children.

"My son had pneumonitis at birth," said Thanat. "We didn't know how or why. He used to turn almost green when he cried before."

A local doctor once told Thanat that there was a risk his son could suffer from heart disease. So, when he found out that the Cardiac Children Foundation of Thailand would be visiting the province to offer free heart check-ups for kids, Thanat did not hesitate in bringing his son to the Uthai Thani Provincial Health Centre.

There were around 50 children from eight districts who had also come for a check-up at the cardiac diagnosis and screening pop-up centre in Uthai Thani. Prior to the day, each of them had been through a screening process to determine if they were at risk of cardiac disease. Anyone found to be at risk — those showing symptoms like fast or irregular heartbeats and those who appeared easily tired out — were then recommended to drop by and make the most of the Foundation's visit.

The Philips CX50 Compact Ultrasound System.

By midday more than half of the children were tested. Most of the results came out fine and the boys and girls left with a smile carrying a gift given by the staff. Their parents, guardians and teachers were also smiling.

One of the smiling faces belonged to Thanat as, thankfully, he learned that his son was not suffering from any heart condition.

"I'm so relieved that the result came out fine. During the check-up, I was really worried. I was already preparing myself for the worst," recalled Thanat of his brief moment in the examination room.

"As we live in a rural area, we don't really have access to the good things they have in bigger hospitals. It's also difficult to get to those hospitals and the process is really complicated. If you are not rich or anything, you lose your chance just like that. So, it's really good that we have these medical staff that bring the equipment to us."

Although Thanat left with a smile on his face and his son in his arms, other families were not as fortunate. There were at least two children on that day who required immediate treatment and were sent to Bumrungrad Hospital, one of the foundation's partner private hospitals in Bangkok. In such cases, the Foundation helps offset a small part of the costs while the hospital takes care of the rest.

In Thailand, there are about 800,000 infants born every year. Out of that number, about 1%, or 8,000 children, are diagnosed with congenital heart disease which could result in disability or death if left unattended. Early detection is crucial in improving survival rates.

"Even before birth, babies can have their hearts scanned at the mere age of 18 weeks in their mother's womb. We can check all four chambers of the heart, the arteries and everything. It's called foetal echo. But this process requires a professional. Many obstetricians cannot perform the scan since they are not experts in that field," said Prof Dr Boonchob Pongpanich, president of the Cardiac Children Foundation of Thailand.

Dr Boonchob further added that there are not many paediatric cardiologists in Thailand. It is also difficult to find decent local services offered in rural locations.

"It is quite unfortunate that, when we [the Foundation] visit the provinces, local staff sometimes say they haven't found any children suffering from cardiac diseases. Now, that's something I don't believe. On average, one or two in a thousand children most likely have a cardiac disease. If there is any place that doesn't have it, then it's either they didn't check it or they didn't check it well enough."

For this reason, the Foundation makes it a duty to visit small and remote provinces in order to make sure they can help children that could be suffering in silence as their disease goes undetected. The outreach programme is carried out on a regular basis.

To aid the Foundation's mission, Philips recently donated its innovative 100% digital CX50 Compact Ultrasound System — a suitcase-size ultrasound system with the diagnostic precision of a full-scale echocardiogram. Its portability makes it ideal for setting up cardiac screening pop-ups in remote and rural areas.

"If you ask people if they know Philips, they'd say we sell bulbs and TVs," said Viroj Vithayaveroj, chairman and CEO of Philips Electronics Thailand and GM of the healthcare sector. "But, now, we want them to see Philips and think about health, well-being and innovation. We are trying to bring out innovations to support the people's quality of life. Even though we may not get to help them directly, at least we want to do our part in assisting. By 2015, we aim to support and improve the lives of 3 billion people in this world."

"We are waiting for society to tell us what they want," added Viroj.

Thanat Sriyagoon, right, brings his five-month-old son Onsen for a heart check-up.

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