A major breakthrough in child health care has been achieved in Mongolia today with the inauguration of a specialized Open Heart Surgery Ward at the National Center for Maternal and Child Health (NCMCH). This life-saving facility, established through a partnership between the Government of Mongolia, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Government of Luxembourg, will significantly expand access to essential cardiac surgery for infants and children and keep families from having to travel abroad for treatment.

About 2.4 percent of newborns in Mongolia are born with congenital heart disease, and about a quarter of these cases require urgent surgery. Each year, more than 50 infants and children travel abroad for correction of congenital heart surgery, where treatment costs range from USD15,000 to USD40,000—posing a heavy financial burden on families.

"Families of children with congenital heart diseases previously faced the difficult choice of waiting for very limited local care or seeking high-cost treatment abroad" emphasized Khalid Sharifi, Head of UNFPA Mongolia. "This new ward is a landmark investment in the health and future of Mongolian children. We, as UNFPA, are proud to make this long-awaited initiative a reality today in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health, particularly NCHMCH."

The new Open Heart Surgery Ward is strategically located at the NCMCH, which receives 16 percent of all women giving birth in Mongolia. As the highest-level referral center for neonatal intensive care, NCMCH can now provide immediate, specialized treatment for high-risk newborns, including those diagnosed with heart defects in utero. Moreover, this ensures that the most vulnerable patients—including newborns diagnosed with congenital heart disease in-utero—have immediate access to both high-quality surgery and advanced post-operative intensive care.

This unit was established under the project "Accelerating the progress towards the elimination of Preventable maternal and perinatal mortality," jointly implemented by the Ministry of Health and UNFPA with funding from the Government of Luxembourg. The following activities were completed to ensure the future sustainability of the surgical service:

• Infrastructure: Extensive renovation of the pediatric cardiac operating theater and intensive care unit.
• Equipment: 30 types of advanced medical equipment for the operating room and intensive care unit are procured.
• Capacity Building: 24 specialists (surgeons, cardiologists, anesthesists and nurses) underwent specialized training at Samsung Hospital in South Korea and in China. The staff also greatly benefitted from the hands-on training by the National Institute for Cardiac Surgery of Luxembourg during their regular missions to the NCMCH and Mongolia Third State Central Hospital.

This initiative demonstrates how international partnerships can bring sustainable and life-saving impact for children and families,” said Sharifi. “Together, we are building a stronger, more equitable health system that leaves no one behind.”

Media contact:

Erkhembayar.M, Media and communications analyst, UNFPA Mongolia

munkhbayar@unfpa.org, 9998-4729