The Ministry says an estimated 2,500 to3,000 children are born with congenital heart defects in Sri Lanka annually and around 2,000 of them need corrective surgery.

Currently, the practice in Sri Lanka is to use imported bovine grafts (Tissue valves) which cost about Rs. 300,000 per graft which is borne by the Government. According to the Ministry of Health, with the rapid advancement in healthcare offered to children with heart diseases in Sri Lanka, the establishment of a Human Heart Valve Bank to provide cardiac valves and tissues necessary for valve replacement and repair of some of the congenital and acquired heart diseases has become a priority.

The process of establishing a Human Heart Valve Bank had been initiated through the Children's Heart Project of Sri Lanka and the Oxford Tissue Bank has already agreed to provide the necessary technical support and advice for the purpose.

The Heart Valve Bank procures human hearts from suitable donors for use in heart valve replacement surgery. The valves obtained from the hearts are stored in ultra-low-temperature freezers and then supplied to the operating theatres. (ST/KH)