Kalam’s doctor is on a rural mission

NAGPUR:  A glimmer of hope has finally dawned upon the 40-odd poor patients, most of them children between three months and 15 years of age, with congenital heart diseases.

They are awaiting corrective surgeries for almost a year now in far-flung villages of Chandrapur district, south of Nagpur. At least ten of them are chronically ill. But with inadequate funds, time is running out for them. They need surgery "without any further delay".

Having been approached by a Nagpur-based NGO of doctors and professionals, Harmony Universe, President APJ Abdul Kalam's health advisor and frontline pediatric cardiac surgeon, Dr Khalillulah, has agreed to perform the surgeries and carry out investigations on the patients at a bare minimum expenditure.

But the voluntary body says they are way short of the Rs 75-lakh target they've set for the task. "That's the bare minimum," said Dr Shashank Subhedar, a well-known cardiologist of Nagpur and vice-president of the NGO.

"We've raised some money from our own group, friends and doctors, but these surgeries and all other pre-surgery investigations will entail an expenditure of Rs 75 lakh for all the 43 patients," he said.

Close to 140 patients ---- children and adults ----- were found to have congenital heart diseases at a health check-up camp at Chandrapur district hospital in December last. Of them, 44 children needed corrective surgery.