Development of pediatric cardiac surgery in Indonesia—a thousand islands and a handful of centers

Providing good medical access for patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) is still a significant issue in most developing countries, including Indonesia. With approximately 50,000 newborns with CHD annually, the development of pediatric cardiac surgery in Indonesia needs to be intensified. After the establishment of the National Cardiovascular Center Harapan Kita in 1985, followed by other centers, the development of pediatric cardiac surgery in Indonesia has surpassed several milestones in treating CHD. However, some main problems, including lack of human, medical, and financial resources, lack of education centers, and uneven distribution of the centers, still need to be solved urgently with the cooperation of medical health providers, the government, and the stakeholders.