The Hans Foundation and Sri Sathya Sai Health & Education Trust join hands for 300 lifesaving heart surgeries for children
New Delhi, 19 March 2024 — Delhi-NCR-based Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), The Hans Foundation (THF), and Sri Sathya Sai Health & Education Trust announced to support cost-free heart surgeries to 300 underprivileged children over the next year. The cause is championed by Mr. Sunil Gavaskar, the legendary cricketer, and trustee of Sri Sathya Sai Health & Education Trust, who has made supporting the cause of congenital heart disease his new inning in life.
Working to improve the quality of life of underprivileged children across India, THF, under its Little Hearts Program partners with several leading hospitals in the country with the objective to provide comprehensive medical support to children who are suffering from Congenital Heart Disease (CHD).
Ever since its inception in 2013, the Little Hearts Program has facilitated more than 3000 successful surgeries across India. With an aim to provide comprehensive medical support the initiative aims to reach 4500 children this year. Under its new objective, the collaboration between THF and Sri Sathya Sai Health & Education Trust will ensure assistance to more than 300 children at the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospitals in Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Maharashtra.
“I am extremely grateful to support this noble initiative. Children are precious gifts of God and we must ensure that every support is available to them that is necessary in their nurturing. The unique part of Little Hearts Program initiative is that it provides assistance to children who would otherwise find difficult to battle severe heart complications owing to the overwhelming financial burden involved in its treatment,” said Mr. Gavaskar.
Since 2012, Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospitals have diligently served over 250,000 outpatients, provided screenings for over 247,000 pregnant women and children, and performed more than 29,600 pediatric cardiac surgeries. With the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospitals’ state-of-the-art facilities located in Palwal, Naya Raipur, and Navi Mumbai, the trust has made commendable strides in offering comprehensive healthcare services across India.
CHD is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the pediatric population of both the developing and developed countries. As per a report in the National Library of Medicine nine out of 1,000 babies have CHD. In India alone, it accounts for 10 percent of infant deaths, despite suitable treatment available for the ailment. However, lack of financial resources largely for rural and underprivileged population makes the surgery unaffordable for many.
Speaking about the program, THF’s CEO, Sandeep J. Kapur said, “The Little Hearts Program is aimed towards providing hope to the underprivileged families whose children suffer from CHDs. From early diagnosis to surgery and post-surgery monitoring, the initiative provides all the necessary medical and financial aid to the families. Our aim is to increase awareness about CHD amongst people and provide support to the families who cannot afford these lifesavings yet costly surgeries.”
Furthermore, Mr. Kapur also stated that the organization plans to expand several such initiative under its umbrella program Hans Pediatric Care which presently runs initiatives such as Cochlear Implant surgeries, Oncology Care, Early Childhood Development & Neurodevelopment, among others.