Operation Open Heart Foundation

07/10/2026

🫀 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗔𝗖 𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗢𝗟𝗢𝗚𝗬 𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦 | 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞 𝟲🫀

It's time for another heart health lesson! This week, we're exploring 𝗥𝗵𝗲𝘂𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 (𝗥𝗛𝗗).

❤️ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗥𝗵𝗲𝘂𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲?
Rheumatic Heart Disease is a permanent condition where the heart valves become damaged, scarred, and narrowed due to inflammation caused by rheumatic fever.

❗ 𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄?
A simple sore throat left untreated can sometimes lead to rheumatic fever, which may permanently damage the heart. Early treatment and proper medical care can help prevent this serious condition.

🌏 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁:
Rheumatic Heart Disease affects an estimated 40 to 55 million people worldwide and causes more than 300,000 deaths every year, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Papua New Guinea remains one of the countries with a high burden of this preventable disease.

✅ Protect your heart.
✅ Treat sore throats early.
✅ Seek medical advice when symptoms persist.

Together, we can raise awareness and help prevent Rheumatic Heart Disease.

🫀❤️

30/09/2026

🫀𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗰 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 – 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗺 #𝟱!
This week’s heart term is: 𝗔𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 (𝗔𝗦𝗗)

👉 ASD is a “"𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦"" in the wall between the heart’s upper chambers.
👶 Often, it goes unnoticed until later childhood or even adulthood — making it one of the silent heart defects that can affect growth, energy, and long‑term health.

✨𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙞𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨:

🔴Children may show no symptoms at first.
🔴Undetected ASD can lead to complications like irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, or fatigue later in life.
🔴Early detection through cardiac screening can save lives and ensure healthier futures.

💡 Awareness is the first step to care. Let’s spread the word and protect our communities from silent heart conditions.

29/09/2026

🌍❤️ 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲: 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗮 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘁❤️🌍

Heart disease is one of Papua New Guinea’s biggest health challenges claiming many lives. Many of these deaths could have been prevented.

👉 𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄?

🔴1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men in PNG live with high blood pressure.
🔴Nearly 30% of adults smoke, raising their risk of heart attack and stroke.
🔴Diabetes and obesity are on the rise, especially in towns and cities.

This year’s World Heart Day theme “𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗮 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘁” reminds us that heart disease often hides in plain sight. Fatigue, breathlessness, chest discomfort, or swelling in the legs may seem small, but they can be warning signs of something serious.

✅ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿:

1⃣Get screened early for blood pressure, diabetes, and heart risks.
2⃣Choose healthier habits: eat more greens, move daily, cut down on to***co and alcohol.
3⃣Raise awareness in our families, schools, and communities.
4⃣Push for stronger policies to fight cardiovascular disease nationwide.

💡 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲:Heart disease doesn’t wait. Let’s protect our hearts, spot the signs, and make every beat count.

28/09/2026

We thank the NBC News PNG for your support always in telling our stories 🫶🏽

Forty-three children aged between three months and 20 years were screened during a two-day cardiac clinic in Rabaul, marking the largest turnout in the region for the National Cardiac Screening Flying Doctors Program.

Read more: https://www.nbc.com.pg/post/40360/43-children-screened-for-heart-issues-in-rabaul

28/09/2026

𝗥𝗔𝗕𝗔𝗨𝗟 𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗪𝗥𝗔𝗣𝗦 𝗨𝗣 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗔𝗖 𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗟𝗬𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗗𝗢𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗦 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗠, 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝟰𝟯 𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗥𝗘𝗡 𝗦𝗘𝗘𝗡

𝗥𝗔𝗕𝗔𝗨𝗟, 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝟮𝟴 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲: – The Operation Open Heart Foundation's National Cardiac Screening Flying Doctors Program has wrapped up its 2026 calendar with a two-day screening in Rabaul, its largest turnout in the region to date. Forty-three children were assessed up from thirty last year ranging in age from 3 months to 20 years old. Of these, thirteen had no heart issues, and seven have been listed for discussions with the Operation Open Heart Foundation regarding possible open-heart surgery.

"𝘞𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯," said Dr. Veronica Kalit, Paediatrician in Charge at Nonga General Hospital. "𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘰 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴."

𝗔 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗼𝗙 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀
Six children were diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) a congenital condition, present from birth, in which a narrowed pathway from the heart to the lungs starves the body of oxygen and can cause children to appear blue. Because affected children can initially look and behave well, ToF is often missed in its early stages.

"𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘛𝘰𝘍𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦," said Dr. Kalit, who noted that ToF surgery is no longer available in country, leaving overseas treatment as the only option for many families who cannot afford it.

Dr. Diana Olita'a, Senior Paediatrician at Port Moresby General Hospital, who conducts the screening, is urging parents and health workers not to assume a child's symptoms are simply a chest infection. "𝘈 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦, 𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘛𝘰𝘍, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥."

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗵𝘆𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻
The team also flagged cases of pulmonary hypertension, a serious complication that can develop when conditions such as ToF, VSD, ASD or PDA are left undiagnosed or untreated. Left too long, the resulting pressure can permanently damage the lung's blood vessels at which point repairing the underlying heart defect may no longer reverse the damage.

"𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘴," Dr. Olita'a said. "𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘵."

Dr. Olita'a urges early detection watching for poor growth, fast breathing, tiring with feeds, recurrent chest infections, bluish lips, or a heart murmur followed by prompt assessment, timely referral, and continued cardiac follow-up after treatment.

𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲
Both doctors pointed to distance and cost as significant obstacles preventing children from completing follow-up care, particularly in provinces like East New Britain.

"𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘶𝘯," Dr. Kalit said. "𝘈 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩, 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘕𝘎."

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆
Three post-operative patients returned for review two after PDA ligation and one after ASD repair."𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨,"Dr. Kalit said. "𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦; 𝘯𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘫𝘰𝘺."

𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀
The Operation Open Heart Foundation is grateful to Air Niugini, BSP Papua New Guinea, the Sir Brian Bell Foundation and the East New Britain Provincial Health Authority for supporting this two-day screening.

"𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩-𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘤 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴,"Dr. Olita'a said. "𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯."

23/09/2026

Operation Open Heart Foundation appreciates our Media Partners in working with the foundation and telling our stories.

We thank the Post Courier for this news piece.🫶🏽

23/09/2026

Its time for our Cardiac Term #4 for this week: 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘀𝘂𝘀 or many know it as 𝗣𝗗𝗔

🩺 This is when a vessel that should close after birth stays open, straining the heart.

📊 𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗧: Seen in approximately 16% of PNG CHDs.

✨ Remember! Knowledge is power. Awareness saves lives.

22/09/2026

𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗡 𝗛𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗦 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗦 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥’𝗦 𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗚𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗣𝗔𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗔𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗖 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚

𝗚𝗢𝗥𝗢𝗞𝗔, 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝟮𝟭 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲: – Ninety-one children were screened for heart conditions on 9–10 September 2026 as part of the National Cardiac “Flying Doctors” Screening Program at the Goroka General Hospital, Eastern Highlands Province. This is the highest number of patients screened for this year’s program.

The screening was conducted by Dr. Diana Olita’a, Senior Paediatrician with the National Department of Health and Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH), together with Dr. Kunera Kiromat, Senior Paediatrician with PMGH. Both are paediatric cardiac specialists who continue to lead efforts in identifying and managing heart conditions among children across Papua New Guinea.

Of the children seen, thirty-eight were found to have no heart problems, three were identified as complex cases, five were listed for PDA (patent ductus arteriosus) ligation surgery, and six were listed for further Operation Open Heart discussions. While turnout was lower than last year, when 103 children were screened, Goroka remains a key centre for paediatric cardiac care, with families continuing to bring children forward for assessment.

Dr. Olita’a highlighted the importance of expanding provincial reach by empowering rural clinic staff and community health workers to recognize early warning signs such as recurrent fevers, poor weight gain, feeding difficulties, or joint pain. She also stressed the need for training district paediatricians and medical officers in basic point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) to detect rheumatic heart disease and congenital anomalies, alongside public awareness campaigns in Tok Pisin through local radio networks.

She reminded parents that everyday habits at home play a vital role in protecting children’s hearts. “𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘺. 𝘙𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭, 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵. 𝘉𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩, 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘴, 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘴, 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘴. 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬. 𝘒𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘬𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭 𝘯𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘰, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳, 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵,” she said.

Dr. Olita’a also urged families to treat sore throats promptly to prevent rheumatic fever and permanent heart damage. “𝘈 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥 5 𝘵𝘰 15, 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘐𝘧 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘩𝘦𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘧𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦. 𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴,” she said.

The National Cardiac Screening program will end this month with the team, visiting East New Britain Province on the 23rd to the 24th.

The success of this visit was made possible by our major sponsor Air Niugini Limited and supported by Sir Brian Bell Foundation, BSP Papua New Guinea and the Eastern Highlands Provincial Health Authority.

21/09/2026

📣 𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗖 𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 | 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗖𝗘 | 𝗦𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗥 𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚📣

The 2026 National Cardiac Screening Team is coming to Rabaul, East New Britain Province! The final stop for this year’s program!

👶 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲?
Children (birth–16 years) showing signs of:
🫀 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 (heart murmurs, bluish lips/skin, poor growth, recurrent chest infections, irregular heartbeat)
🫀 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗵𝗲𝘂𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲
(shortness of breath, chest pain, fatigue, swelling, irregular heartbeat, history of rheumatic fever or repeated strep throat)
🔄 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 (returning for ongoing care and review)

🩺 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴?
1️⃣ Registration & vital signs check
2️⃣ Doctors’ assessment on breathing, feeding, growth
3️⃣ Physical exam: listening to heart sounds, checking for murmurs 4️⃣ Ultrasound with BSP donated portable machine
5️⃣ Clear diagnosis, management plan & referral for surgery if needed

📍 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Nonga General Hospital, East New Britain Province 📅 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀: 23rd & 24th September 2026

✨ Your child’s heart health matters!
Early detection can change lives!
👉 Please bring your children for screening.

#2026

16/09/2026

𝗜𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 - 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗺 #𝟯!

👉 Our term is: 𝗧𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘁 (𝗧𝗼𝗙)

👶 Some children turn bluish because their blood carries less oxygen.

📊 𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗧: This accounts for approximately 23% of PNG CHDs.

✨ Knowledge is power. Awareness saves lives.