A hospital in Chennai has tied up with an American university and a NGO in the US to bring low-cost heart care to disadvantaged children in India. There are an estimated 40,000 kids needing such heart correction procedures.
The Lifeline multi-speciality hospital here has set up a foundation with the University of Missouri and the Gift of Life International (GOLI) which "will facilitate complex paediatric cardio-vascular operations for poor kids in a sustained programme," J S Rajkumar, chairman of the Lifeline Group of Hospitals, told IANS.An MoU was signed Monday between the Indian hospital and the university for cooperation in the programme, named 'Save Heart, Save Child'.
The first batch of operations under the programme began Monday. About 15 children, aged from one to 12 years will be treated over the next five days. American Consul General here David T. Hopper and Rajya Sabha member M.K. Kanimozhi inaugurated the programme.
"We plan to have a series of such operations with visiting surgeons every three months," Rajkumar said.
The programme will be assisted by Missouri University hospital doctors and will also get support from GOLI.
Well-known cardiologist Pierantonio Russo, a visiting professor at the university hospital and N Kapadia, chief cardiac surgeon of Lifeline hospital (who is also Russo's student), will conduct the operations assisted by specialist teams from their respective countries.
Advertisement
Under the programme here, each operation will cost around Rs. 30,000 ($600). But on an average, such procedures cost about $7,000, according to GOLI.
Advertisement
Source-IANS
SRM/M
