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Fortis Hospital has launched a unique initiative ‘Child Heart Mission’ to provide heart surgeries and treatment for children at affordable cost in various parts of Maharashtra.
Since the start of the initiative in January 2013, more than 150 children with heart defects have already been treated successfully at the Fortis, says a release here.
The ‘Fortis Child Heart Mission’ programme will not just provide treatment but also focus on educating pregnant mothers through awareness campaigns and health checkup camps across the state.
To start with, health camps will be organised in Nagpur, Nashik, Aurangabad, Kolhapur and Alibag and in several smaller towns where medical facilities are out of reach.
Dr Vijay Agarwal, Chief Paediatric Cardiac surgeon, Fortis Hospital, Mulund said, “There is an acute shortage of good treatment facilities for children with heart defects. Altogether 1.2 lakh children are born with severe heart defect every year in India”.
Seventy per cent of heart defects are not diagnosed on time or not treated due to shortage of funds or good facility.
The problem is getting worse in semi-urban and rural areas as families are often unaware of checkups needed during early stages of pregnancy to detect heart conditions in the unborn child, Dr Agarwal said.
“Our mission is to help ailing children and their families who cannot afford such expensive heart surgeries with the aim that no child goes untreated due to the lack of funds,” Dr Agarwal said.
Varun Khanna, Regional Director (West & East), Fortis Healthcare Ltd, said, “an average cost of a heart surgery ranges from Rs 1.5 lakhs to Rs 3 lakhs. We have decided to operate upon these children and many more at a highly subsidised cost.”
Alvira Agnihotri, Trustee, “Being Human: The Salman Khan Foundation” said, “We receive several cases every month of children with congenital heart defects and were on a lookout for the right partner to provide a solution. We are happy to partner with Fortis Hospital Mulund on the ‘Child Heart Mission’ initiative so that children with heart problems get the best possible care.”
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