VinaCapital Foundation’s healthcare programme Heartbeat Vietnam celebrates the 8,000th successful heart operations on November 13. — Photo courtesy of VCF

HCM CITY — Doctors at Tâm Đức Heart Hospital in HCM City have successfully performed a life-saving heart operation on H’Nhun Niê, a 11-year-old girl from Ê Đê ethnic group in Đắk Lắk Province, the 8,000th heart operation funded by VinaCapital Foundation’s healthcare programme Heartbeat Vietnam.

H’Nhun Niê is now living with her parents and seven brothers and sisters. With a very low income from farm work, her family has a hard time making ends meet.

Last year, her family fell into despair when she was diagnosed with congenital heart disease.

She was scheduled for life-saving surgery after she underwent a screening programme organised by VinaCapital Foundation and Tâm Đức Heart Hospital in Đắk Lắk Province in June this year.

The girl was diagnosed with a ventricular septal defect and developed heart failure symptoms, said Dr. Trần Văn Hòa from Tâm Đức Heart Hospital.

On September 3, she underwent an operation at Tâm Đức Heart Hospital and was discharged from the hospital one week later.

She has recovered very well and her heart function is very good six days after surgery. There is no sign of heart failure, Hòa said.

“I am happy that I am not sick anymore. When I grow up, I want to be a fashion designer. I often sew clothes for dolls,” said H’Nhun Niê.

Dr. Chu Trọng Hiệp, head of the hospital’s department of cardiovascular surgery, said: “With this 8,000th successful heart surgery cases, we are very happy. We will continue to accompany VinaCapital Foundation in the future to help children with cardiovascular diseases in remote areas.”

Don Lam, CEO of VinaCapital, said that congenital heart disease has claimed lives of many children in Việt Nam as the cost of surgery is too high to be covered by the low income of the families.

In 2007 VinaCapital Foundation was established and Heartbeat Vietnam was launched the following year to offer free heart surgery for poor children.

A total of 8,000 disadvantaged children with congenital heart defects across the country have been cured as of September this year.

The screening programme has examined more than 2,000 children in 48 provinces and more than 8,000 disadvantaged children who have been diagnosed with congenital heart diseases needing cardiovascular intervention.

Many organisations, enterprises and individuals have implemented meaningful programmes with VinaCapital Foundation to raise funds for the cost of heart surgeries for these children, Lam said.

“What makes me feel happy is that every day there are more and more children saved with support of Heartbeat Vietnam and the concerted efforts of kind-hearted people in the community,” he said.

Dr. Nguyễn Hoàng Định, head of the department of cardiovascular surgery at the HCM City University Medical Centre, said:  “As one of the first participants of the programme, I feel very happy to see more and more support from the community for the programme. The number of doctors and nurses involved in the programme has been steadily increasing.” —VNS