Doctors, NGOs Come Together To Save Life Of A 6-Year-Old With Heart Disease

A non-government organization (NGO) and doctors from a government hospital came together to save the life of a six-year-old boy who was suffering from congenital heart disease and needed immediate surgery to implant a pacemaker. Both factory workers in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao, the boy's parents, were referred to the Post-Graduate Institute of Child Health in Noida for the boy's treatment. The symptoms included dizziness, frequent blackouts and breathlessness.

The doctors decided to implant a pacemaker in the six-year-old. Since the boy came from a very low-income family, the expenses for the surgery were incurred from the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK). However, a pacemaker costs ₹ 1.25 lakhs and is not covered under the scheme.

Expensive Pacemaker

Within no time, a Noida-based NGO, Mahakal Maharaj Seva Mandir Trust, stepped in and donated ₹ 90,000 for the boy's treatment. The doctors of the hospital pitched in the remaining ₹35,000. The surgery took place on March 28, and the child was discharged soon after a few follow-up tests, The Times of India reported.

Dr Mukesh Kumawat, the head of the PGICH cardiac surgery team, said that the pacemaker was necessary for the boy's healthy life and a normal heart rhythm. Therefore, the hospital's senior management thought of procuring the pacemaker through donations.

The boy's parents said that they were relieved that the doctors and the NGO stepped up to help. Moreover, the Trust members said that they were looking to better the job opportunities for the boy's parents. Ajay Singh, the director professor of the PGICH, said the hospital hoped to perform more such operations in the coming months since they were getting many complicated cases in the paediatric cardiac sciences department.

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