Child cardiologists in demand
Postgraduate in paediatrics or cardiologist is eligible
By : aishwarya v.p.
Update: 2014-11-09 07:02 GMT
Chennai: At least 8 in 1,000 children in Tamil Nadu are born with some problem in the heart, but the sad story is the non-availability of enough paediatric cardiologists who can treat these children. Doctors say that the difference between an adult and a paediatric cardiologist can be likened to one who repairs a wall clock and one who sets right a wristwatch. Treating children requires a different hand with separate sets of skills and training as the parts are tiny.
The heart of a child is the size of a small orange, says Dr V.K. Swamy, paediatric cardiologist, Fortis Malar Hospital, and adds that though the method of treatment is similar for an adult and a child, intensive care should be specifically designed to suit children, and this is not common in Tamil Nadu or India.Dr Swamy says, “Mostly, the heart problem in children concerns the structure of the heart, whereas adults are mostly affected by coronary heart disease which is due to the lifestyle of the person. As children have mostly congenital heart diseases, surgery has to be done in most cases.”
Senior obstetrician, Women and Children Foundation Hospital, Dr D. Rajasekar, says, “Due to technological advancement, diagnosing the problem has become better and it has almost doubled in the last five years. Paediatricians are also sufficiently trained to diagnose cardiac problems in children, which leads to a greater demand for paediatric cardiologists.”
Paediatric cardiologists say that the national board of examination conducts a two-year course on the fellowship of national board (FNB) in paediatric cardiology. Any postgraduate in paediatrics or a cardiologist is eligible to do this course. But the number of seats is only 18 per year. Or else, any paediatrician or cardiologist can have hands-on training under seniors in both departments to become a paediatric cardiologist.