Pediatric cardiothoracic program in Malaysia: a study based on the outcome of the program

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Pediatric Cardiology
• Health Services Management

Background:

• Vulnerable Malaysian communities face challenges accessing pediatric cardiac services due to long waits, high costs, and surgeon shortages.
• The Pediatric Cardiothoracic Program (PCP) was established to address these accessibility and availability issues for children needing heart operations.
• Patients are transported to Narayana Health Institute of Cardiac Science in India for treatment after an eligibility check.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the demographic characteristics of congenital heart disease patients in the PCP.
• To evaluate the program's outcomes, including post-operative mortality rates.
• To identify beneficial factors associated with the PCP's success.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 241 patients participating in the PCP from August 2008 to September 2012.
• Analysis of demographic data, including age, ethnicity, household income, and parental education.
• Fisher's exact tests used to calculate p-values for categorical data and assess associations.

Main Results:

• 230 patients were analyzed after 11 were excluded due to health conditions unsuitable for travel.
• The majority of patients were aged 1-4 years (57.8%), Malay (61.7%), with low household income (
• Significant associations were found between patient region and race, income, and parental education. Post-operative mortality rate was 1.7%.

Conclusions:

• The PCP effectively provided essential pediatric cardiac services to Malaysian children.
• The program demonstrated significant benefits for both patients and the government by improving access to specialized care.
• Demographic factors were significantly associated with access to care, highlighting disparities in pediatric cardiac service utilization.