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Madras Medical Mission & Government of Andhra Pradesh

Project for children from Andhra Pradesh

The Management and faculty of the Madras Medical Mission were distressed to learn from newspaper reports about the plight of about 6000 children in Andhra Pradesh, all below poverty line, afflicted with congenital heart disease. The plight of these children was highlighted by the media when some of them died during a procession taken out in Hyderabad . The Vice President of Madras Medical Mission immediately wrote to the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh offering the services of Madras Medical Mission in this regard. The Honorary Director, Dr. Mathew Samuel Kalarickal and the Assistant Director, Dr. Mullasari Ajit S then met the Chief Minister in Hyderabad and reiterated our offer of goodwill and services. Following this the government of Andhra Pradesh passed an order (order no. G.O.M.s.No. 362 dt 1.10.2004) in which Madras Medical Mission was short listed for heart surgery of these children. Under the scheme, the Director of Medical Education (Andhra Pradesh) categorised the children into 6 risk strata and Madras Medical Mission has so far received 15 children in the highest risk strata 5 & 6. The government was to pay Madras Medical Mission a nominal amount for the care of these children.

The scheme

The children from the districts of Andhra Pradesh that border Tamil Nadu are now being sent to our hospital for surgery, allocating only complex congenital heart disease to Madras Medical Mission. The surgical treatment of these children is expensive, the cost ranging from Rs.125 thousand to Rs.200 thousand. Madras Medical Mission is in the effort to raise funds from benevolent donors of the Andhra community in Chennai and elsewhere to support the treatment of these children. The collection and utilisation of funds will be in a transparent manner and funds are to be exclusively kept in a separate account and utilized for the surgical treatment of the children sent to Madras Medical Mission from Andhra Pradesh. It is expected that about 600 children will be coming for surgery during the next one year. (Andhra brochure to be attached).