Year-old Pakistani boy undergoes heart surgery at AIIMS

New Delhi, May 10 (UNI) It was a day of routine work for just reinstated AIIMS Director P Venugopal today-- successfully mending the heart of a year-old-Pakistani boy.

The boy, George Sajid, had a 1.2 cm hole in his heart-- medically known as ventricular septal-- which had caused repeated lung and chest infections. The condition would have ultimately led to severe pneumonia and then definite death.

A team, led by Dr Venugopal, who returned to office on May 8 after the Supreme Court orders, and comprising Dr A K Bisoi and three other doctors performed surgery on the child, who was admitted to AIIMS on May 6.

''He was turning into a blue baby and needed urgent surgery...

The operation lasted for about two hours and the patient is recovering now,'' said Dr Bisoi.

''His growth was being hampered because of his condition but his chances of leading a normal life are as good as that of a normal child now,'' he added.

George's relieved parents were ecstatic that their child will now live a normal life.

''I am glad that we got our child to India and he was operated upon at AIIMS... This is a very happy day for us.

We thank god and the doctors at AIIMS for saving his life and that too, conducting it free of cost,'' said George's father Majid Chand.

Majid had written to Dr Venugopal and Dr Bisoi requesting treatment for his son after he got to know about a similar case from his village.

It was then that AIIMS got in touch with the Pakistan High ommission requesting for grant of visas to the family.

The family is expected to return to Pakistan with in a week after getting clearance from the doctors.

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