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Colombo & Cochin Joins Hands To Give New Lease Of Life To Five Sri Lankan Children Suffering From Heart Diseases
Writer: Laxmi Mohan Kumar
She is an aspiring journalist in the process of learning and unlearning many things. Always up for discussions on everything from popular culture to politics.
Kerala, 4 Nov 2022 5:37 AM GMT
Editor : Jayali Wavhal |
She writes about gender issues, human interest, and environment.
Creatives : Laxmi Mohan Kumar
She is an aspiring journalist in the process of learning and unlearning many things. Always up for discussions on everything from popular culture to politics.
Five Sri Lankan children underwent free heart surgeries at a Kochi hospital under the Neona heart surgery programme. A total of 65 children will be benefitting from this project.
Five children from Colombo who were born with congenital heart defects (CHDs) were brought back to good health through the collaborative efforts of the Rotary Clubs of Cochin and Colombo. The children were taken to the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Center in Kochi for their free treatment and will be returning home after the successful surgery.
A congenital defect in the heart is a common problem that some children are born with, and it mostly affects the structure and functions of the heart. Some defects are simple in nature and do not require treatment, but complex CHDs may require multiple surgeries performed over a period of years.
However, with medical care advancing over the years, children with CHD get to live longer and healthier lives. The medical costs for the surgery could still be a challenge for many, and to resolve this concern, the community-based organisations from both cities decided to initiate a project that facilitates free heart surgery for children.
Extending A Helping Hand
About one in four babies with a heart defect is said to have critical CHD. The children require surgery or other healthcare procedures done within the first year of life. The organisations in Colombo and Cochin facilitated a program that offers free heart surgery by reaching out to children who may not have access to proper healthcare facilities or the financial capacity to bear the surgery costs.
The free surgery programme for congenital heart defects and valve defects is titled Neona, in memory of a one-and-half-year-old girl who died in a boat accident near Lakshadweep in 2010. Under the project, the doctors recently conducted the successful surgery of five children from Colombo born with congenital heart defects.
The surgery was conducted in Kochi and is expected to aid a total of 65 such children. With a project fund costing around ₹2 crores, the children will be able to get world-class healthcare treatment free of cost. According to a report by the New Indian Express, a batch of Sri Lankan doctors and nurses will also be receiving training at the Kochi hospital to conduct complex surgeries.
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