Amritapuri/Kochi: The Government of Jharkhand and Mata Amritanandamayi Math are collaborating to provide free specialised cardiac treatment to children from the state through Amrita Hospital, Kochi.
As part of the initiative, more than 2,000 children from Jharkhand have been screened so far, with 75 children undergoing free cardiac surgeries at the hospital. More screening camps are planned across Jharkhand as part of a continuing statewide programme to identify children requiring specialised cardiac care.
Shashi Prakash Jha, IAS, Mission Director, National Health Mission (NHM), Jharkhand, on Saturday presented a plaque of gratitude to Mata Amritanandamayi Devi at Amritapuri, recognising the hospital's contribution to the programme.
Under the collaboration, children diagnosed with congenital and acquired heart diseases will be referred for surgery and catheter-based interventions at Amrita Hospital. The programme also includes training healthcare personnel in Jharkhand in the early detection of congenital heart disease, along with joint monitoring and follow-up of patients.
"Thousands of children are evaluated through outreach programmes every year, and many of those requiring intervention receive treatment at Amrita Hospital free of cost. The collaboration with the Government of Jharkhand will help extend this care to more children across the state," said Dr. R. Krishna Kumar, Head and Clinical Professor, Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Amrita Hospital, Kochi.
Over the past 25 years, the hospital's pediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery teams have performed around 32,500 surgeries and interventions, of which nearly 24,300 were provided free or at subsidised rates.
Dr. Brijesh P.K., Professor and Head, Department of Pediatric Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Amrita Hospital, and Shiv Prakash Bagaria, coordinator of the Amrita Jharkhand initiative, were also present.
Amrita Hospital has also entered into a similar MoU with the Government of Odisha to provide free cardiac care to children from the state.
