Reducing infant mortality
With a population of 1.41 billion, China is the world’s second-most populous country with one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. Despite the economic growth it has experienced over the last decade, many parts of the country remain largely underdeveloped and struggle with poverty.
There is an urgent need for more pediatric specialists to treat children with congenital heart disease. There is also uneven access to medical care with many patients and their families traveling great distances to seek treatment.
The need: by the numbers
babies are born with congenital heart disease (CHD) each year in China
children under age 5 died from CHD in 2016 – representing 1.8 million years of life lost
We began partnering with hospitals in China in 1999.
The opportunity for a child from a rural village born with heart disease to receive quality care is practically nonexistent, whereas a middle-income child from the city has access to some of the best medical care in the world. Since 1999, Children’s HeartLink has been working with partners in China to close this gap.
By 2009, congenital heart disease became the leading cause of infant mortality in the country, surpassing poverty-related illnesses such as diarrheal diseases and tuberculosis.
There are fewer than 2 cardiologists per 100,000 people in China, and even fewer doctors with specialized training in pediatrics.
Children’s HeartLink’s commitment to China’s growing pediatric cardiac care infrastructure is strong and will remain so until all children have the care they deserve.
In 2019, our five partner hospitals – including two Children’s HeartLink Centers of Excellence – served more than 28,000 children.
To learn more about our efforts in China, view our China Fact Sheet (PDF).
Our Partner Hospitals
First Hospital of Lanzhou University
1999
2,800
Qingdao Women and Children’s Hospital
2018
18,250
Shanxi Women and Children’s Hospital
2020
6,330
TEDA International Cardiovascular Hospital
2017
3,757 (2023)
West China Hospital of Sichuan University
2006
9,511
