On World Heart Day, Child Heart Foundation (CHF) has announced a year-long commitment to strengthen early detection, timely treatment and medical management of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) across India.
The Foundation has set an ambitious target for the year ahead: to screen more than 7,000 children and help save more than 1,000 children through timely treatment and medical management by World Heart Day 2027.
Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect in India. More than two lakh children are born with CHD in the country every year, with approximately one in five having a defect serious enough to require an intervention during the first year of life.
“World Heart Day is a day of celebration for us. Every child who was diagnosed in time, treated and is now growing up healthy is the reason we do this work. But thousands of children in India are still born with heart defects that are found too late or never treated. Our pledge this year is to reduce that number. Over the next year, we aim to provide screening to 7,000+ children and help save 1,000+ by providing timely treatment and medical management. No child should have to live with a heart condition that can be treated.”
— Dr Vikas Kohli, Paediatric Cardiologist and Founder Trustee, Child Heart Foundation
From Early Detection to Treatment
Established in 2013, Child Heart Foundation has supported 1,300+ children in receiving heart treatment and reached 15,000+ children and families through its screening and awareness initiatives.
CHF’s approach focuses on identifying congenital heart disease as early as possible and building pathways to timely care.
Through its JEEVANSH programme, the Foundation provides free fetal echocardiography, enabling congenital heart defects to be detected during pregnancy. Its medical camps help identify children with suspected heart disease, while ASHA and Anganwadi workers are trained to recognise early signs and symptoms, strengthening community-level detection and referral.
Through its Hridya Saksham programme, CHF works to strengthen cardiac diagnostic capacity in government healthcare facilities by providing echocardiography machines to government district hospitals and training doctors in their use.
A Pledge for the Year Ahead
For CHF, World Heart Day is an opportunity not only to raise awareness but also to renew its commitment to ensuring that children with congenital heart disease are identified early and connected to appropriate care.
The Foundation’s 2026–27 commitment of 7,000+ screenings and 1,000+ children supported through timely treatment and medical management is aimed at strengthening the continuum of care from awareness and early detection to diagnosis, referral, treatment and follow-up.
Child Heart Foundation believes that timely diagnosis can change the course of a child’s life and that no child should be denied the opportunity to receive care for a treatable heart condition.