Wadia Hospital to set up cardiac care centre for kids
Parents of children who have heart diseases but cannot afford to get them treated in private hospitals have reason to cheer. They will soon have access to affordable treatment at Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital, Parel, which is going to be the first public hospital in the city to set up a dedicated paediatric cardiac care centre.
Parents of children who have heart diseases but cannot afford to get them treated in private hospitals have reason to cheer. They will soon have access to affordable treatment at Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital, Parel, which is going to be the first public hospital in the city to set up a dedicated paediatric cardiac care centre.Cardiac treatment is known to be expensive around the world. In addition, very few private hospitals have a dedicated team of doctors and the infrastructure for treatment of cardiovascular diseases in children. Wadia Hospital's new centre, expected to start within six months, will give children access to affordable treatment."Unhealthy and redundant lifestyles are leading to cardiovascular diseases which often begin in childhood and adolescence, so the prevention of heart diseases must begin at an early age. The need of the hour is to promote healthy diets and physical activity amongst the new generation and provide a second chance to children who are already suffering from heart diseases," said Dr Minnie Bodhanwala, chief executive officer, Wadia Hospital."In connection with starting new centre, we are organising the Little Heart Marathon on Sunday. The marathon aims at engaging the community to participate in a healthy and fun event, which will help raise much-needed funds for setting up the cardiac centre and in turn reduce the cost and waiting time for underprivileged kids in need of urgent surgery."According to experts, one in every hundred children suffers from a heart ailment. Wadia Hospital alone sees more than 3,000 children with heart ailments annually, out of which almost 500 to 600 need surgical intervention."We have a specialized team including pediatric cardiologists, pediatric cardiac surgeons, pediatric intensivists, anesthesiologists, pediatric nurses and nurse practitioners, social workers, neonatologists and paediatricians for the centre, which will start in six months. Such centres are the need of the hour. Many people cannot afford the expensive treatment offered by a private set-up. We not only treat the problem but also try to prevent it," said Dr Y K Amdekar, medical director of Wadia Hospital.