HEARTY HELPING HAND

Located just 2 kms away from the Chennai Central, K.J. Hospital offers a range of General Medical and Surgical services from renowned and efficient medical professionals. My cousin Dr. R.Narayani, Ph.D in Biochemistry joined there in the month of July 2005, as a Proffessor and Head, Biochemistry dept.. It was there that she met Dr. Sreemathi, a cardiothoracic surgeon.

Dr. Sreemathi, who retired from the Government Institute of Child Health (ICH) in Chennai in 2002, currently in K.J Hospital, says that she has watched for years how corporate/private hospitals are beyond the reach of parents from the lower classes. "Government hospitals are overcrowded and the demand is so huge that however hard we try, we're not able to cope. So I thought I should do my bit to support the government in a small way."

K.J. Hospitals is one of the best-known hospitals of Chennai. But what is unknown to the general public is that, there is a small unit with a Big Heart. This unit, headed by Dr. Sreemathi, takes care of the congenital (inborn) Heart problems of the kids, who are less affluent. In short, it is a charitable trust called the “Less Affluent Kids Cardiac Fund”.

Dr. P.S. Sreemathi is always on her toes to get help to her inexhaustible list of her needy little patients. Dr. Narayani, infected by her enthusiasm, pooled a few thousands from us cousins. My sister Harini Sripada, a software professional, offered her bit by volunteering to develop a website for them called needylittlehearts.org.in. And now, as I too set my fingers into the world wide web, would like to inspire and call upon people with Big Hearts. But first one has to know what is going on there. So read on…

Led by Sreemathi and sponsored by K.J. Research Foundation, a charitable Trust of K.J. Hospital in Chennai, 'Needy Little Hearts' is the logo of the Less Affluent Kids' Cardiac Fund-an initiative by Sreemathi and individuals from the medical fraternity of various hospitals in Chennai.

The programme aims to provide free surgical treatment to 200 children with congenital heart conditions in 2007; the team has performed 15 surgeries since April. What prompted Dr. Sreemathi to launch the initiative was her experience at the government Institute of Child Health (ICH) in Chennai, where she has performed over 4,000 surgeries.

Dr. Sreemathi left the ICH in 2002, and began mobilising medical resources to take cardiac surgery to children from less affluent families.

Dr K. Jagadeesan, founder of K.J. Hospital and Research Foundation and president of International Medical Sciences Academy, explains Sreemathi's vision: "The target group is children in the below poverty line section. Free cardiac operation includes surgery, investigation, hospitalisation, follow-up, rehabilitation, and prevention."

It is teamwork that has helped. While K.J. Foundation and Hospital provides the infrastructure, specialists, surgeons, anaesthesiologists, physicians and cardiologists from the city’s various hospitals perform the surgeries, and help in the rehabilitation of patients.

Said Dr C. Saravanan, cardiothoracic and general surgeon, who gave up practice in the UK to join Dr. Sreemathi: "We are not doing this as sacrifice. Every one of us enjoys it. It's a pleasure to do something that is close to your heart. Nobody can remain untouched, especially when children suffer, and when we know that their condition can be set right."

On her team is Dr C. Saravanan, "one of the few doctors who opted to come back and stay in India and be happy about it," she says. While he was looking for a job in IndiaUK, he was keen "that most of my work should be on charity. Dr K. Jagadeesan (Founder of KJ Hospital) saw my CV and told Dr. Sreemathi and as we were on the same wavelength, I joined the team," he says.

The road ahead for the team is not easy, though. The surgeries cost between Rs 95,000 and Rs 1.06 lakh, or more. As government funds are not always timely, they depend on donations from philanthropists. Dr M. Paul Korath, chief physician, internal medicine, said cardiac disorder was not the only problem. "Malnutrition and anaemia are serious problems. We are only touching the tip of the iceberg, but we have made a beginning," Korath said.

More on this topic:

Prevalence of heart diseases

Types of heart diseases

Treatment and costs

Raising funds

Contribution of Govt. of TN

Success stories

Amitabhji-Samrakshak of little hearts

(Dr Sreemathi can be contacted at kjh@vsnl.net or sreem@vsnl.net)