As the world marks World Heart Day on Sept. 29, Afghanistan confronts a sobering reality: thousands die each year from cardiovascular diseases, trapped by poverty, a fragile healthcare system and the lingering wounds of decades of conflict.

In Kabul's under-equipped hospitals, families such as those of Nizamuddin and Ali Hussain cling to fragile hope for infants born with congenital heart defects (CHDs), conditions routinely treated in wealthier nations but, here, often a death sentence.

For Nizamuddin, the crisis is painfully personal. The sole provider for a family of seven, he keeps vigil beside his five-month-old daughter in a government hospital, exhaustion etched on his face. Diagnosed with a congenital cardiac anomaly, likely a ventricular septal defect (VSD), the baby needs specialized procedures, cardiac catheterization or open-heart surgery, which are unavailable in most Afghan facilities.

"There are no facilities here for her heart condition," Nizamuddin says. "Because of financial struggles, we can't even take her to Pakistan for treatment."

A similar anguish grips 23-year-old Ali Hussain, whose firstborn, born of a consanguineous marriage, has biventricular septal defects. After 10 days in a treatment center, he faces an uncertain future. "My child has two holes in her heart," he tells Xinhua, his voice trembling. "Because of her condition, she can't be treated here. We need to go abroad, but we don't have the money."

A newly established cardiac care center in central Kabul offers a flicker of hope, drawing dozens of patients daily from the capital and neighboring provinces. Yet doctors warn of rising caseloads and persistent shortages of critical equipment, from echocardiographs to cardiac catheterization labs and surgical instruments.

"With the population increasing, the number of heart patients grows each year," says Dr. Omid Khan Nasiri, a cardiothoracic consultant at a state-run hospital. Outpatient departments already register 20 to 30 pediatric cases daily, he notes. "The costs are exorbitant. Most patients cannot afford private-sector care. Only a few succeed, while the majority go without treatment or surgery, and many lose their lives."

Amid this bleak landscape, the Afghan Red Crescent Society remains a rare beacon of hope. In the past year, it has helped about 2,200 children with CHDs receive free treatment or surgery, covering expenses of 750 to 2,350 U.S. dollars per case. Yet the need far outstrips resources.

"Currently, around 15,000 children with heart defects are registered with our organization awaiting treatment," ARCS spokesperson Hafiz Abdul Qadeem Abrar told Xinhua.

The scale of Afghanistan's cardiac crisis is staggering. A World Health Organization report released Sept. 21 estimates cardiovascular diseases claim more than 40,000 lives annually.

Local authorities dispute that figure, with Ministry of Public Health spokesperson Sharafat Zaman Amar arguing that actual mortality is lower.