The government is focused to ensure health to all sections of the society, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said here on Wednesday.
Participating in a conclave of beneficiaries of the ‘Hrudaya Spandanam’ programme,a free cardiac surgery scheme of the KIMS in association with the Merlyn Foundation, he said the government’s commitment was to provide full spectrum of health services to all citizens.Hrudaya Spandanam scheme aims to provide 150 free cardiac surgeries to heart patients below the poverty line.
The Chief Minister applauded the efforts of KIMS and Merlyn Foundation and described the initiative as a noble effort, pointing out that the assistance was tailor-made for free cardiac surgery to non-affordable patients.
As per reports, 60 per cent of heart patients are below the poverty line and cannot afford heart surgeries which are generally expensive.
As such, thousands of heart patients succumb to the disease every year. For the relief of such patients, with curable heart disease, KIMS and Merlyn Foundation came out with the Hrudaya Spandanam scheme.
Already, 45 patients have benefited from the scheme since its launch in 2011.
The Chief Minister announced 100 more cardiac surgeries in the second phase of the programme on the occasion. M I Sahadulla, chairman and Managing Director,KIMS; K Jalaluddin, chairman, Merlyn Foundation; G Vijayaraghavan, vice-chairman, KIMS; E M Najeeb, executive director, KIMS; Varkala Kahar MLA; G Vijayaraghavan, State Planning Board member, were present apart from relatives of the beneficiaries of the scheme in the first phase, doctors and staff.