Subsidised heart operation scheme for the poor

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, JUNE 30. Medical centres and dedicated heart hospitals must accord importance to research into why an alarming number of Indians from different social and professional backgrounds are becoming vulnerable to heart diseases, the Governor, Ms V.S. Rama Devi has said.

Launching here on Friday the "Subsidised heart operation scheme for bread winners" of the Narayana Hrudayalaya and Rotary Club of Bangalore, which is targetted at the working class families who suffer from heart diseases, Ms. Rama Devi said while India lacked the state-of-the-art technology and facilities to address rising health and medical problems in the country, it should be remembered that no hospital in the West could claim to have the "human touch."

In the West, patients in hospitals were kept away from their own families and relatives, "whereas in India we know that being with loved ones at times of illness is very good for patients. Narayana Hrudayalaya must be the only hospital where the relatives stay at the hospital and be there for the patient," she said, adding that this was eminently worthy of emulation.

Ms. Rama Devi said the good work done by Dr. Devi Shetty, Managing Director and founder of Narayana Hrudayalaya, was very well known, and he was held in great awe by most people. "Just now, as I was getting ready to come here, a politician called on me.I told him where I was headed, and he immediately decided to come back another time, as my visit here was more important," she said.

Dr. Devi Shetty said Indians were three times more vulnerable to heart diseases than Europeans and Americans. Blockages in the coronary arteries manifested at a much younger age in Indians too. "Every fourth Indian has a heart attack before retirement," Dr. Shetty said, adding that three per cent of rural and 10 per cent of urban population suffered from eischaemic heart diseases.

At least 2.5 million Indians needed heart operations annually, while only 45,000 were able to afford them. The average cost of a by-pass surgery was around Rs. 1.4 lakhs.

Narayana Hrudayalaya's mission was to help working class families suffering from heart diseases, for whom special concessions were available. They would be charged around Rs. 75,000 or Rs. 80,000 per operation instead.

In the new project started in association with the Rotary Club of Bangalore, Narayana Hrudayalaya would offer a package of Rs. 75,000 and the Rotary Club would donate Rs. 20,000 to every heart patient from the lower socio-economic strata. Thus a patient would have to arrange for only Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 60,000 . Phase-I of the project would help save 50 patients.

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