It has been revealed that about 3000 children are born with heart disease every year in this country and 1500-2000 of them need surgical treatment.
The government says that many hospitals refer such children to the Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital, but that the hospital only has the facilities to perform approximately 900 surgeries a year.
Therefore, the District Rotary Club of India District 3201 and the RID3220 West Colombo Rotary Club are working together to reduce congestion on heart surgeries until the necessary steps are taken to provide adequate facilities for operating theaters and cardiac emergencies under the ongoing “little Heart” project. The government has agreed to launch a two-year Rotary-funded project to facilitate complex heart surgeries for children at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in Kochi, India.
The Minister of Health has submitted a proposal to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Health and the two Rotary Clubs of India mentioned above to implement the relevant project.
The Cabinet of Ministers which met on Monday (September 27) approved the proposal, the Government Information Department said.