Hospital treats 15 Kashmiri kids for Congenital Heart Defect

An initiative by the Fortis Foundation gave a new lease of life to 15 children from the Kashmir Valley. Under the 'Umeed Dhadkan' initiative, children with Congenital Heart Defects were treated for free. The initiative, which is run under the Fortis Foundation's Aanchal programme, has treated as many as 4331 children from different parts of the country.

Adeeba Farooq, a four-year-old child with high fever and bouts of cough that left her weak, breathless and, at times, turned her blue, is one of the 15 kids who was treated at the Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI) in Gurugram. Her heart defect was diagnosed when her local doctor advised her to get a 2D ECHO done. Her father, a daily wager, was a worried man since the diagnosis as he did not have the money to treat her.

"Adeeba is really fortunate to have this Ventricular Septal Defect operated which is potentially curable and she will lead a normal life now. Children in remote areas sometimes miss out on the opportunity to undergo this simple but curative surgery. It is tragic that delay in diagnosis and treatment can make this simple condition inoperable leading to early deaths in several cases," said Dr Vijay Agarwal, Director and Head of Department, Paediatric Cardiology, FMRI.

The free surgeries have helped numerous families and the initiative helps children lead a normal life despite economic constraints.

"It was a blessing. We had given up hope for her treatment. We are indebted to the doctors, Rotary Club of Delhi East End and Fortis Foundation for helping us treat our child. She is happy and smiling today," said Sameer Ul Ashraf, Adeeba's father.

Congenital Heart Defects can be defined as a structural or functional abnormality in the heart, which presents itself at the time of birth. It poses a great threat to the life of the newborn and can result in death. It accounts for 10% of infant mortality in India. It has an incidence rate of 2.25 to 5.2 per 1000 live births and accounts for two-thirds of all major birth defects