Hole in the Heart: Surgery Cost in Pakistan

Introduction

There is such a stark difference between the healthcare systems of developed and underdeveloped countries that the whole affair sounds disheartening sometimes. A hospital in Boston, Beijing, and Paris have all the facilities in the world you can think of. The healthcare systems in such countries are designed with an intent to alleviate the sufferings of the patient, as well as the financial pains associated with treatment. Compare that to countries like Pakistan, for instance. There is not just enough room in the country’s hospitals to treat all the patients suffering from a particular disease, let alone provide them any benefits. In this discussion, we talk about the plight of the patients suffering from a hole in the heart: surgery cost in Pakistan.

Horrifying numbers

The medical term for a hole in the heart is Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD). Technicalities, however, hardly do anything to alleviate the sufferings of those, who suffer from this condition in Pakistan. A careful estimate tells us that more than 50,000 children in the country are born with congenital heart defects. The reasons for this abnormally large figure are mainly poverty and poor maternal healthcare facilities, factors that are interlinked as well. Conditions like diabetes further increase the risk of a terrible event of this nature. For a country that does not spend much on its healthcare sector, the burden of VSD kids is quite a big one. Among the 50 thousand children born with congenital heart defects, about half of them need surgery.

Hole in the heart surgery cost in Pakistan

Like we said earlier, it is the difference in healthcare quality in various countries, which matters the most. While VSD is a perfectly treatable disease, the costs associated with the treatment are significantly higher in counties like Pakistan. Again, there are numerous reasons for that. Unavailability of world-class cardiologists, lack of proper facilities for heart surgeries and the fact that sometimes, it is just out of budget are the most prominent reasons why heart surgery is such an expensive treatment in the country. A careful estimate tells us that surgery in a private hospital can cost as much as $3-4,000. This is quite a large sum when converted into Pakistani currency. The government hospitals are cheaper, but no one is sure if they will ever get a call for the surgery or not.

Hole in the heart surgery: Options for treatment

Linking with previous, the government offered treatment is just like a miracle in the country, it rarely happens for you. First, you have to enroll for the surgery, a list which has thousands registered on it already. Now, if you are lucky, your time will come but that is not the case with every patient. We said that 25,000 kids in the country need surgery every year. However, only 4-5,000 kids get it. The rest either wait it out till they grow up or die waiting. Such is the tragic state of heart patients suffering from VSD in the country. As mentioned earlier, the private hospital treatment is simply too costly.

It would seem, all hope is lost. However, that is not the case. There are many organizations and non-profits in the country, which work to provide treatment to patients suffering from a hole in the heart. One such organization is Transparent Hands.

Transparent Hands: A platform that offers hope

Transparent Hands is the largest technological platform for crowdfunding in the healthcare sector of Pakistan. It offers a complete range of free healthcare services including medical and surgical treatments, medical camps, and telehealth facilities to the underprivileged community of Pakistan. The platform provides visibility to underprivileged patients and builds a personal and trusted bond between patients and donors while ensuring complete transparency. It also sets up free medical camps in the rural areas of Pakistan in which, free medical consultation, free medicines, and free diagnostic tests are provided to the deserving patients. Donors from all over the world can use the Transparent Hands crowdfunding web portal and donate through 100% secure payment modes. They could select any patient, fund the treatment, and receive regular feedback and updates until the patient has recovered completely.

Conclusion – Hole in the Heart: Surgery Cost in Pakistan

Well, now you have a clear idea about the plight of patients suffering from a hole in the heart in Pakistan. We will say only this, it is quite an expensive treatment, and if it was not for the non-profits like Transparent Hands, the situation could have been much worse.