Kids with defective hearts treated successfully

Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Sep 14 : As many as 106 children with holes in their hearts, have been success-fully treated at Shija Hospitals and Research Institute, without actually performing open heart surgery.
This was conveyed by Managing Director of Shija Hospitals and Research Institute, Dr Kh Palin during a press meet held at the institute's Langol complex today.
Informing that Shija Hospital has been performing heart hole treatment without surgery since October 2017, Dr Palin maintained that a series of health camps are organised  every month to identify children with heart defects while necessary treatments are been carried out under Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) programme.
Closing holes in the hearts of more than 100 children is another feather in cap for the institute, Dr Palin remarked.
Ten in every 100 infants are born with congenital heart disease, Dr Palin said adding that over 9000 of the State's total population with such disease have still not come forward for treatment. He continued that now, people do not need to go outside the State for treatment as such defects can be treated successfully with the help of device closure in the State without incurring huge expenses.
Meanwhile, Shija Hospital's Cardiologist Dr Sidhartha Lukram said that no challenges or difficulties were encountered in the whole process of closing holes in the hearts for more than 100 children.
He informed that the institute will soon be utilising electronic stethoscope to conduct screening of people who are residing far from Imphal city.
RBSK State Nodal officer Dr Hemam Ibemcha told media persons that RBSK benefits are provided to children (from birth to 18 years of age) who are born with over 30 congenital diseases. RBSK teams are deputed at 36 blocks in the State so as to identify children with holes in their hearts. Meanwhile, verification drive conducted at Government as well as Government aided schools have revealed that almost 200 children are detected with hole in their hearts every year.
Maintaining that more than 300 children suffering from similar defects have not undergone any treatment till now, Dr Ibemcha said that three patients are sent outside the State for treatment under the scheme if their conditions are too complex to be treated in the State.
360 children with holes in their hearts have been treated till date, Dr Ibemcha added.
Responding to a query on how people living at far flung areas can benefit from the scheme, she said that the RBSK teams at different blocks conduct survey every year for identification and intervention.
On the other hand, parents of those children who had undergone treatment for the congenital heart disease expressed heartfelt gratitude to Shija Hospitals and Research Institute as well as the scheme for giving their children a chance to live and a ray of hope.
Pediatric doctor H Das was also present during the press meet.