Pediatric and Congenital Cardiac Services: An Innovative and Empowering Approach to Global Training and Equitable Care
Wyman W. Lai, Dominique Vervoort, David J. Bradley, Antonio G. Cabrera, Casey Culbertson, Alejandro A. Floh, Saurabh Kumar Gupta, Babar Hasan, Adrian Holloway, Jeffrey P. Jacobs, Kathy J. Jenkins, Raman Kumar, Luis A. Larrazábal, Colin J. McMahon, Daniel J. Penny, Alistair Phillips, Emilio Quezada, Craig Sable, Shubhika Srivastava, Sandra Staveski, Patcharapong Suntharos, David F. Teitel, Betsy Tirado, B. Tran, Bistra Zheleva, Liesl Zuhkle, Anthony Chang
Abstract
Congenital heart disease is a leading cause of preventable death in children, with a disproportionate impact on low- and middle-income countries. Despite progress in treating congenital heart disease globally, significant challenges remain in accessing specialized cardiovascular care, particularly cardiac surgery, in low- and middle-income countries. This review examines current models of assistance and proposes a novel global training program to address these inequities. Key challenges identified include building program infrastructure, training health care providers, ensuring financial sustainability, and promoting local engagement. The proposed program, structured under a new international organization, will leverage emerging technologies to deliver accessible and rigorously assessed training in pediatric and congenital cardiac care. By collaborating with local experts and global partners, the program will promote access to education for various health care personnel involved in congenital heart disease care, establish credentialing standards, and foster global collaboration. This unified, scalable approach aims to bridge the health equity gap and accelerate progress toward comprehensive and sustainable cardiac care programs worldwide.