44 Ganjam children with heart condition sent to Mumbai for free treatment

Berhampur: In a major healthcare initiative, 44 children from Ganjam district suffering from congenital heart disease (CHD) departed for Mumbai on Monday to undergo free surgeries under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) scheme.The children, aged between three months and 15 years, will receive treatment at Narayana Health SRCC Children's Hospital. A team of four doctors is accompanying the children and their parents to coordinate the treatment process."The hospital's medical team will conduct additional tests upon arrival to finalise the surgery schedule for each patient," said Lopamudra Mishra, district Manager of RBSK. Chief district medical and public health officer Bhabani Shankar Mishra, along with senior doctors, extended their best wishes to the young patients and their families before their departure.The children were identified through health screenings conducted by RBSK teams across anganwadi centres, schools, and colleges in villages throughout the district. Two mobile health teams led the screening efforts at the block level. Initially treated at the City Hospital in Berhampur, the children were referred to SRCC Hospital following doctors' recommendations for immediate surgery.Since the implementation of the RBSK scheme in Ganjam district in 2016, a total of 668 children with CHD have received free life-saving surgeries. This group represents the first batch sent for treatment in 2025.