Pediatric cardiology in Asia

The problems of pediatric cardiology in Asia can be summarized as follows. In the countries like India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and some other countries especially with government support like Thailand, the priority is primary health care. Except in Japan, cardiac care for children is not well supported financially. Training in pediatric cardiology is not readily available. Consequently small numbers of pediatric cardiologists, pediatric cardiac surgeons and active centres are available even in Japan. It is importannt to reduce the incidence of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease by prevention of streptococcal infections and to increase the standard of living and environment. Transportation and referral system diagnosis, and treatment and follow-up is a special problem in neonatal care in relation to heart disease. Concentration of physicians, medical schools and cardiac centers in urban areas, old customs and poor understanding of people about the treatability and preventability of heart diseases in children complicate the improvement in the management of children with heart diseases.