Delays in diagnosing and treating congenital heart conditions are putting some children in East Sepik Province at risk of developing complications that could prevent them from receiving life-saving surgery, according to paediatrician Dr Cecilia Pakule.

Dr Pakule said one of the biggest concerns was pulmonary hypertension, which can develop in children with certain untreated heart conditions.

She said some children who are initially suitable for surgery could become inoperable if treatment is delayed and pulmonary hypertension develops.

“In some cases, they're operable, but because they have added that pulmonary hypertension, they can't operate,” Dr Pakule said.

The warning follows a recent two-day cardiac screening program in East Sepik, which assessed about 11 children from inpatient and outpatient services.

Dr Pakule said echocardiography had allowed doctors to identify multiple heart problems in some children.

Previously, limited access to echocardiography meant doctors often had to rely on clinical signs such as heart murmurs when making an initial diagnosis.

The new screening technology, she said, was helping doctors identify hidden heart defects and provide families with a clearer understanding of their children's conditions.

Dr Pakule said another challenge was access to medicines.

East Sepik hospitals frequently experience shortages of medicines needed by children with heart conditions, forcing some families to depend on relatives and friends in Lae and Port Moresby to purchase and send medicines back to the province.

She said interruptions to medication could have serious consequences for children.

“When they don't give the medicine to their children, they develop pulmonary hypertension and then they are unoperable again,” she said.

Dr Pakule said stronger provincial supply systems, regular screening and earlier referrals were needed to prevent children from reaching a stage where treatment options become limited.

She also called for more paediatric cardiac specialists and more frequent screening visits to provincial hospitals.