Screening and results
Over four days of clinics and mentorship, the outreach screened 147 patients from the Copperbelt Province — 140 children and 7 adults. Of the paediatric group, 104 children (74%) were found to have cardiac lesions.

• Arthur Davidson Children’s Hospital (13–14 April): 70 patients screened. Among the children assessed, 45 required urgent cardiac surgery and 20 required surgery but were stable for placement on the waiting list. Fourteen were post-operative patients needing continued follow-up, seven were managed medically, 20 had inoperable disease needing palliative care, and 36 had structurally normal hearts.
• Kitwe Teaching Hospital (15–16 April): 70 patients screened, including referrals from Solwezi General Hospital and Ronald Ross General Hospital. All patients had echocardiography performed; ECGs were done when rhythm problems were suspected.

Mentorship and skills transfer
A core goal of the outreach was on-site mentorship. Sonographers, radiographers, and clinicians at ADH and KTH received hands-on training in echocardiography and the diagnosis and management of congenital structural heart disease. The sessions strengthened local capacity for early detection and ongoing care of paediatric cardiac conditions.

Strengthening collaboration and continuity of care
The outreach team met with senior medical staff at both hospitals to strengthen clinical collaboration and referral pathways between NHH, ADH, and KTH. The programme also reviewed known cardiac patients being followed from previous surgeries — both locally at NHH and at centres abroad — to ensure appropriate long-term monitoring and care adjustments.

Local and International partnerships and impact
The presence and participation of the Center for Cardiovascular Research and the International Cardiac Alliance enriched the mission through knowledge exchange and reinforced the urgent need for continued international support to address the burden of congenital heart disease in Zambia. These partnerships have already enabled life-saving interventions and improved long-term outcomes for many children.

Looking ahead
The outreach successfully identified numerous children needing urgent intervention and collected contact and follow-up details to ensure continuity of care at the National Heart Hospital. Center for Cardiovascular Research is honoured to be part of this partnership of taking services to the areas with need and bridging the gap with the NHH team that is committed to continuing these outreach activities across provinces to bring specialised cardiac services closer to families, strengthen local capacity, and deepen collaborative networks that improve access to life-saving paediatric cardiac care