Scheme to finance heart surgeries of poor children launched

Chennai, Nov 21 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today launched a scheme to provide financial assistance for performing heart surgeries on poor children below 12 years.

According to an official press release here, Mr Karunanidhi launched the scheme after the State Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 17 private hospitals at the State Secretariat.

Immediately after signing the MoU, Mr Karunanidhi sanctioned financial assistance to 20 children, who were registered with the government hospitals, for immediate heart surgeries in ten hospitals.

Under the scheme, aimed at benefitting the wards of families whose annual income was less than Rs 50,000, the government would provide Rs 10,000 for closed heart surgeries, Rs 30,000 for ordinary open heart surgeries and Rs 70,000 for complex open heart surgeries.

The MoU was signed by the Health Department Director and representatives of the 17 Hospitals, in the presence of Mr Karunanidhi.

The government had announced the scheme considering that more number of children were afflicted by heart diseases due to changing lifestyles.

The Hospitals included Sri Ramachandra Hospital, Apollo Hospitals, Frontlier Life line, Harvey Health Care, Madras Medical Mission, Chettinad Hospital and Meenakshmi Mission Hospital and Research Centre.

UNI