Poor kids to get free heart operations

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the state government is going to perform cardiac surgeries on 825 children free of cost in city hospitals.

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the state government is going to perform cardiac surgeries on 825 children free of cost in city hospitals.

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“The surgeries would be performed on over 800 children suffering from cardiac problems by the Health Department, public health minister Suresh Shetty told PTI.

The children are from the backward Vidarbha region and they will be brought into the city for the surgeries. The government has roped in four to five private hospitals for the operations, Shetty said.

The cost of the operation is very high in the private hospitals and therefore the government will bear all costs including travel and stay expenses of the children's parents.

The hospitals will perform 10 surgeries per day from the first week of January. The health department is also keen on clearing backlog of surgeries the area.