Children in Honduras lack access to vital healthcare services. The nation faces a critical challenge in reducing infant mortality rates, with 23 deaths per 1,000 live births for children under the age of 5. Alarmingly, 25% of these deaths are related to congenital heart defects. Approximately 1 in every 100 newborns is affected, which amounts to roughly 2,000 babies per year, and 70% require cardiac intervention.

Honduras requires significant support to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, particularly in reducing neonatal and live birth mortality rates.
The Hospital María, Especialidades Pediátricas (HMEP), a public hospital managed by the non-profit Fundación Amigos del Hospital María (FAHM), launched its Cardiothoracic Vascular Program in February 2016, two years after the hospital opened its doors for specialized care in Honduras. Today, the “Heart Unit” performs 160 cardiac surgeries and 50 cardiac catheterizations each year.

The existing service levels of the Heart Unit do not meet the demand for complex cardiac care. There are over 300 children on the waiting list for cardiac intervention and more than 150 children diagnosed annually. Honduran families wait months for life-saving interventions, witnessing their children’s health deteriorate. Without the staff or supply capacity to address these needs, more than 48% of cardiac surgeries at HMEP are emergency procedures attempting to save a child who has been on the waiting list for far too long.

Phase l:

Expansion of cardiac surgeries
to every week of the
month

Currently, cardiac surgeries are only performed in three of the four possible weeks of each month. HMEP has access to an operating room, intensive care unit (ICU) beds, medical equipment, and nursing professionals during that additional week.

With funding secured from the government, a vascular cardiac surgeon has been hired, who has been performing procedures during that vacant week, thus increasing the number of interventions.

Phase II:

Expansion of
cardiac catheterization
procedures to three weeks
each month.

Interventional cardiology procedures (cardiac catheterization) are only performed one week and one day (6 days in total) each month.
To adequately meet the current demand, HMEP needs to increase this capacity to three weeks each month (15 days in total).

With the funds provided by the Government, a hemodynamics interventionalist, anesthesiologist, and additional nursing professional have been hired.

Additionally, these funds will be used to secure more medications and supplies for these additional procedures.

Phase III:

Expansion of the hospital’s cardiac surgery capacity
and maintenance of catheterization
procedures

Once the resources for cardiac surgeries and interventional cardiology procedures in Phases I and II are secured, HMEP plans to open a second operating room and four ICU beds.

A second operating room will require HMEP to hire a minimum of 76 new medical professionals, including a full-time pediatric cardiac surgeon. Whenever possible, other personnel hired in Phases I and II will use underutilized time to support the
second operating room.

HMEP has already identified a pediatric cardiac surgeon to fill the vacancy, who will move to HMEP in 2028 after completing their studies.

In addition to the above costs, HMEP will also need to make several one-time purchases of medical equipment and secure additional funds to ensure medications and supplies for these complementary cardiac surgeries and interventional cardiology procedures.