More than one million children across the world are born with congenital heart disease (CHD) each year. When treatment is available, 85 percent of children can survive into adulthood. Unfortunately, 90 percent of children born with CHD live in poor regions with little access to care.

According to a report in The Lancet from Children's HeartLink, a Minnesota-based social services organization, the needs of children with heart disease should be included in efforts to strengthen health systems around the world. Congenital heart disease is among the top five causes of child death worldwide.

"Increasing access to pediatric cardiac care is a lofty but not insurmountable goal,” said Brian Atwood, former administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development. “It is an achievable goal, grounded in health system sustainability and equity. It will save children's lives."

Specifically, a pediatric cardiac workforce must be built, data on CHD in national health surveys and cause of child death statistics must be collected and health coverage must be financed in a way that protects families from impoverishment when they seek care.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals call for an end to preventable child deaths by 2030. Since 2000, child deaths have been cut in half due to improved public health and poverty reduction efforts. As the overall rate of child deaths decreases, the burden of children born with heart disease will become more apparent.