Operation Healthy Heart (OHH) provides corrective surgery for children with congenital heart defects. Initiated in 1994 as a result of one family seeking EMW’s help, OHH has provided life-saving financial assistance to over 1,200 children.

EMW has expanded OHH into a national program. Our goal is to save more children’s lives. In order to achieve this goal, OHH is seeking ways to lower the cost of corrective surgery, improve long-term health outcomes and introduce more up-to-date procedures. We are involving new partners, including medical professionals in the United States, who are providing valuable assistance to the program. EMW aims to greatly expand the life-saving capacities of OHH in the next 3 years. But we can’t do it alone—we need your help.

Key Stats

20,000	Number of Vietnamese children who are on a waiting list to receive cardiac surgery
12,800	Number of annual pediatric cases with heart defects that require cardiac surgery
3,000	Number of pediatric cardiac surgeries per year that Vietnam’s surgeons can currently perform
5-15%	The percentage of children in Vietnam with the most common heart defects who will live to be adults without cardiac surgery
$1,000	On average, the total cost of heart surgery to EMW in Vietnam

Key Goals

• Increase the number of life-saving Operation Healthy Heart operations
• Increase the number of children treated for congenital heart defects each year
• Identify and diagnose children with heart defects earlier, and provide treatment to them before condition worsens
• Develop open-heart surgery “aftercare” to ensure children have the proper medications and nutrition to guarantee good long-term outcomes
• Expand the medical system’s ability to perform corrective surgery and provide good pediatric cardiovascular care

For more info
Contact Laura Ward at laura@eastmeetswest.org or call 1-800-561-3378.