CDHi was honored to be a part of the 100 attendees of the GICS III meeting in Vellore, India where we represented Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia and collaborated with pediatric surgeons from many countries, UNICEF, the World Health Organization and others on the great need for pediatric surgical care in Third World Countries.
It was quite an enlightening and heartbreaking experience to speak with doctors who do not have the bandwidth or equipment needed to take care of CDH patients, much less the medications that we take for granted in First World Countries. There are Nations in Africa with just one or no pediatric surgeons. Doctors who have never seen a case of CDH in 20 years because the babies do not survive to diagnosis, much less transport. We cannot even guess on the occurrence rates in some countries because there are so many babies who die in home births.
While there, our President, Dawn Ireland, was also able to meet with India Representative, Shankari Murali, tour the local children’s hospital and raise a bit of awareness.
We have a very long way to go to make a difference in these nations. But we will. CDHi is now collaborating not only with GICS, but we will be working with individually with hospitals and the WHO. It is an honor to work with such a prestigious, global group to help all children.
Because every child born with CDH deserves a chance. But so does every other child who needs surgery to survive.
