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US-based NGO pledges ₹500 cr for paediatric cardiology unit at PGI
On Sunday, Mrinalani Sethi, founder and president of US-based Saloni Heart Foundation, along with her husband, Himanshu Sethi, met chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow.
LUCKNOW Newborns suffering from congenital heart disease will soon be provided with immediate care as a new paediatric cardiology unit is expected come up at city’s Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI).
On Sunday, Mrinalani Sethi, founder and president of US-based Saloni Heart Foundation, along with her husband, Himanshu Sethi, met chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow. During the meeting, Mrinalani Sethi urged the CM to set up a dedicated hospital at the SGPGI for infants suffering from congenital heart disease. She also expressed her willingness to invest ₹500 crore for the project. Subsequently, chief minister Yogi Adityanath issued instructions to establish a Children’s Hospital at the SGPGI.
As a large number of children are born with a heart disease, many of the newborns require a surgery within their first year of life. Keeping this in mind, a Center of Excellence in Paediatric Cardiology Unit should be established at the SGPGI as soon as possible, the chief minister said.
CM Yogi welcomed the proposal of the Saloni Heart Foundation and assured cooperation from the government. Under the proposal, the Saloni Heart Foundation will begin the unit with 30 beds in the initial phase. After its successful implementation, the unit will be expanded to 100 beds in the second phase and 200 beds in the third phase.
Once operational, the hospital will be able to perform surgery on at least 5,000 children suffering from heart ailments and ensure treatment of 10,000 more patients. The Saloni Heart Foundation also plans to set up another unit in collaboration with BHU once the hospital at PGI is fully operational.
