Surendra Soren
Ranchi
Twenty children from economically weaker families in Jharkhand, suffering from congenital heart defects, were sent to Kochi on Monday for free heart surgery and comprehensive treatment at Amrita Hospital.
The initiative has been undertaken by the Jharkhand Health Department to ensure that children are not deprived of critical treatment due to financial constraints. Many parents accompanying the children said they could not afford the estimated treatment cost of Rs 4-5 lakh and expressed gratitude for the government’s intervention.
Health Minister Dr Irfan Ansari said the government’s priority is to ensure that no child in Jharkhand is denied treatment because of poverty. He said children requiring heart surgery earlier had to travel outside the state and families often struggled to arrange the required funds.
According to the minister, the Health Department has established a treatment arrangement with Amrita Hospital in Kochi and aims to send around 100 children for treatment under the initiative. The 20 children sent on Monday constitute the first batch.
The government will provide treatment-related facilities, including surgery, diagnostic tests, medicines, accommodation and food, free of cost for eligible beneficiaries, he said.
Ansari said 75 children had already undergone successful free heart surgeries through earlier departmental initiatives, while another 20 are now being sent for treatment.
He appealed to ministers, MPs, MLAs, panchayat representatives and other elected representatives to identify children in their respective areas suffering from congenital heart defects who are unable to undergo surgery due to financial hardship and inform the Health Department.
“Our objective is to ensure that no poor, tribal or needy child in Jharkhand has to compromise with life because of lack of access to treatment,” Ansari said, adding that providing better healthcare and a chance at a healthier life to every child remains a priority of the government.
