Two Pak children arrive for heart surgery

CHANDIGARH: For eleven-year-old Afzal and ten-year old Rohit, the two Pakistani children the city beautiful may provide them an elixir as they both undergo a corrective heart surgery at PGI in the next week.
The children accompanied by their relatives reached the city on Saturday under the ``Gift of life’’ project of the Rotary club of Chandigarh which was initiated way back in 1998-99.Ninety-five children including six from Uganda have already been provided free cardiac surgery under the project.
The head of department of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at PGI Dr RS Dhaliwal would operate both Afzal, who has a whole in his heart and Rohit, who has a blocked heart valve. The entire expenditure would be borne by the Club. Though initially five children were to reach city from Pakistan the three could not come due to visa problems. The Rotarians say that the three are expected to arrive in the city in February itself.
It was economic criteria and the medical emergency of each case that determined the selection of the children from Pakistan to be taken to the city for operations.
"I have been running from pillar to post for last two and half years since I got to know about the problem of blockade of valve in the heart of my son Rohit. The major difficulty was arranging the huge sum of more than Rs two lakhs that were required for the operation. But with this initiative I am very hopeful that my son would be treated," said Ramesh Chand, father of Rohit who runs his shop the small town of Khipro in Sindh province.
Afzal a class III student from Loralai in Baluchistan has a hole in his heart and a huge sum of at least Rs two lakhs was the major bottleneck in his getting the treatment in his home country. Said Ghazi Khan, eldest brother of Afzal who is accompanying him in India for treatment, "we have come to the city with lot of hopes and a feeing that we would return after getting full treatment."
Any trace of bitterness or the larger political issues tackled by the two nations took a back seat as the guests from eth neighbouring countries emphasised again and gain how they were overwhelmed by the warm hospitality extended by the Indians. "Right from the Wagah border to this place, everything is wonderful for us," said Krishan Chand a Rotarian from Pakistan.