Some 60 Mongolian infants have received heart surgery operations free of charge over the past six years through a charity programme funded by Rotary Korea.

The 60 children in need of the critical treatment recovered well after the operations conducted by a team of 26 Korean specialists led by Kim Woong-han, a professor at Seoul National University Hospital.

According to UNICEF, some 80 percent of premature deaths from heart disease and strokes could be avoided. As the treatment can be expensive, however, a child in poverty with an unhealthy heart is extremely vulnerable and at risk of early death. These risks are increased in the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar, which in wintertime suffers from chronic air pollution.