United States-based healthcare company Abbott announced on Tuesday that it will continue to team up with the Shanghai Charity Foundation and Shanghai Children's Medical Center to screen children from disadvantaged families in remote areas in the country for congenital heart disease and provide treatment for free if necessary in 2024.

Congenital heart disease is one of the most common congenital malformations in China, and its detection rate is increasing every year, said medical experts.

After launching the care program in October 2022, doctors and experts with the voluntary medical team have traveled to remote areas in Yunnan province and Gansu province to perform the screening and provide medical services to nearly 100 young patients, 13 of whom received follow-up treatment at Shanghai Children's Medical Center.

"We hope that we can contribute to early detection, early diagnosis, early intervention and early treatment of congenital heart disease in those regions with the help of cutting-edge technologies," said Liu Tingliang, a professor from the cardiology department of Shanghai hospital.

Liu said the voluntary medical team also held multiple training lectures for 100 grassroots medical workers to improve their knowledge about the current diagnosis and treatment status of the disease, as well as skills related to postoperative nutrition and rehabilitation.

Abbott said it will expand the scope of donated medical devices and include heart valves in the upcoming year to allow more of such children to lead healthy and fruitful lives.