Healthy Soch
New Delhi, January 24, 2018: Ansh was six years old when his father first brought him to us. He is the firstborn of Arun and Preeti living at Moti Nagar in Delhi. Ansh was suffering from a congenital heart disease called Tetralogy of Fallot in which the child gets cyanotic spells’ or ‘blue spells’, when the body becomes very blue. A BT shunt surgery had been done at AIIMS when he was 3 years old to take care of the cyanotic spells.
When he came to us, Ansh needed two more corrective surgeries: coiling of main pulmonary artery, closure of ventricular septal defect (VSD) hole in the heart and reconstruction of right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) – the area connecting the right heart with the lung artery. The estimated cost of both the corrective surgeries, given to his father, was more than 4 lakhs. But, the family was without any means to bear this expense for the two surgeries.
Ansh’s father came to know about Sameer Malik Heart Care Foundation Fund through a local newspaper. He then approached us and Ansh underwent the corrective surgeries at Medanta The Medicity Hospital located in Gurgaon, Delhi NCR.
Sameer Malik heart Care Foundation Fund was instituted in 2014 as an initiative of Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI) with the founding principle that “No person deserves to die of a heart disease just because he or she cannot afford treatment”.
HCFI has a tie up with Medanta Hospital and other like hospitals to help needy patients such as Ansh.
Both HCFI and Dr Naresh Trehan at Medanta are committed to saving the lives of such children.
Ansh is now 8 years old. He is studying in Class 2 and wants to become a doctor.
Up to one percent children today are born with a congenital heart disease and most of them would not survive even two years, if timely surgery is not done. Many government hospitals would refuse to do surgeries in such children as in this case, where one established hospital refused the first surgery and the child had to be rushed to AIIMS by his father.
Getting an early date for the second surgery at AIIMS was proving to be difficult because of the long waiting list.
What is the answer? How many of such patients can be supported by the Sameer Malik Fund?
The government must come out with a similar fund for heart surgeries. Also, the cost of heart surgery in children must be subsidized in the private sector and paid by the government.
Ansh is a happy child today and hopefully will become a doctor. Let us all join hands in securing a happy life for Ansh.
Picture abhi baki hai, doston. If you come across any Ansh, please contact us at 9958771177.
Dr KK Aggarwal
President Heart Care Foundation of India
