Heart Surgeries for Children in Indonesia

The William Novick Global Cardiac Alliance provides pediatric cardiac care to children in underserved regions of low and middle-income countries. Volunteers also educate healthcare professionals in these countries to help achieve an independently functioning local team over time, with a long-term goal of building local capacity and sustainability in pediatric cardiac care regardless of gender, race, religion, economics or political affiliations.

Around 1.3 million children are born each year with a heart defect. 1 in every 40 deaths in children under one year of age is due to a heart defect, mainly because there is a worldwide shortage of cardiac surgeons. There is an estimated shortage of over 1250 pediatric cardiac surgeons worldwide. Dr. Novick, a pediatric cardiac surgeon, recruited a group of clinical experts in the field of pediatric cardiac care to help eradicate the suffering caused by congenital heart disease. Since 1993, Dr. Novick and his time have operated on over 10,000 infants and children in 36 underserved and often completely forgotten countries. In 2023 alone, 11 trips are scheduled in the following countries: Iraq, Lebanon, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda. I have connected with many of these inspiring pediatric anesthesiologists, cardiologists, nurses, surgeons, and other volunteers who make these trips possible.

How will your donations help the Novick Cardiac Alliance? I spoke with Dr. Novick, who informed me that they are raising funds for a trip to Indonesia around August of 2023. He provided the following budget below, which does not include volunteer airfare (around $30,000). The organization will perform open-heart surgeries on 18-20 children during this two-week trip.

Indonesia 2023 budget:

Hotel in-transit $1,200, Meds/supplies $13,500, local hotel $6,700, visas $1,050, excess baggage fees for supplies $2,400, Admin expenses $6,900 for a total of $30,000

Your donations will go directly to funding this trip, which will allow surgeries to be performed on around 20 children. That is very special. I plan to volunteer with the team as a Cardiac ICU nurse in the future.

Novick Cardiac Alliance's reliability as a charity:

"Since Novick Cardiac Alliance launched in 2014, we’ve remained committed to the highest level of transparency and reporting as a leading international charity, serving hundreds of children each year who are born with heart disease. We’re proud to announce that NCA has earned GuideStar’s 2020 Platinum Seal of Transparency by publicly sharing our key metrics and highlighting the impact we’re making in children’s lives around the world. We’re also incredibly honored to share that we recently received a distinguished 100-OUT-OF-100 “Give with Confidence” rating for Accounting and Finance by Charity Navigator, a trusted resource for donors and investors."