NAIROBI, Kenya – Hundreds of Kenyan children born with life-threatening heart defects are dying before they can receive treatment, a new study by University of Nairobi researchers has revealed.
The review, conducted jointly by scholars from the University of Nairobi and Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), examined 1,703 medical records of children admitted with congenital heart disease (CHD) between 2016 and 2021.
It found that more than a third (36.1 per cent) of these patients died within a year of diagnosis—most while still waiting for life-saving interventions.
“The lengthy time period between diagnosis and intervention is mainly due to issues related to access and affordability,” said lead researcher Dr Bonface Osano, a paediatric cardiologist and lecturer at the University of Nairobi.
Months of Waiting, Lives Lost
The study, titled “One-year outcomes and intervention waiting time of patients admitted with congenital heart disease at Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya,” paints a grim picture of Kenya’s ability to manage paediatric heart disease.
It shows that nearly two-thirds (62.9 per cent) of patients recommended for surgery never underwent the procedure, while those who did waited an average of 59 days before entering the operating theatre.
Children referred for less invasive catheterisation waited even longer—about 95 days on average.
For the few referred abroad, the wait stretched to an excruciating 349 days.
At the time of diagnosis, over half of the patients (53.6 per cent) were infants below one year old. Yet many never reached their first birthday.
“Delayed diagnosis and long waiting times may lead to deaths before intervention or poor outcomes when surgery is finally undertaken,” the report noted.
Limited Capacity, Overwhelmed Hospitals
KNH is one of only three public hospitals in Kenya capable of performing heart surgeries on children, alongside Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret and Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital in Mombasa.
The study did not fault KNH, noting that the hospital’s cardiac unit is under immense pressure, with too few specialists serving an ever-growing number of patients. Many children arrive late when their conditions are already inoperable.
“At diagnosis, 57 patients were deemed inoperable and were counselled on palliative care,” the report stated—a clinical phrase meaning doctors could only manage symptoms, not repair the heart.
A Widening Inequality
Globally, congenital heart disease affects 8 to 15 in every 1,000 live births, according to the World Health Organization.
In high-income countries, more than 90 per cent of affected children survive following surgery. But in low-income nations like Kenya, the odds are stacked against them.
Socioeconomic barriers—including poverty, malnutrition, and poor sanitation—compound the problem, increasing infection risks and mortality rates.
“Kenya’s low diagnostic capability and inadequate facilities for CHDs lead to delayed diagnosis and limited intervention options,” the researchers said.
A Call for Urgent Reform
The authors are urging the Ministry of Health to prioritise funding for paediatric heart services and improve access to early diagnosis and timely surgery.
“There is need to shorten the time taken from diagnosis to intervention and improve documentation for patients with CHD at KNH,” they said.
While congenital heart surgeries have become routine globally, the study underscores a harsh truth: for many Kenyan families, a child’s heartbeat is still a race against time.
