NEW DELHI: Delhi University has approved financial assistance of `17 crore for the treatment of a nine-month-old child suffering from spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) Type-II, a rare genetic disorder, according to a university statement. The child is the daughter of a faculty member at the university’s School of Open Learning (SOL).
Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh constituted a special committee to examine the proposal, which was unanimously approved after deliberations on its technical aspects, the official statement noted.
The initiative was taken by SOL Director Payal Mago, who first placed the proposal before the school’s Governing Body and secured its approval.
Representatives of the SOL Academic Association also made efforts to mobilise funds through crowdfunding and seek government assistance. The campaign raised `3.11 crore, with contributions from the Tata Trust, the chief minister’s relief fund, crowdfunding platforms such as Impact Guru, Milaap, Ketto and GoFundMe, and the SOL Teacher Relief Fund and non-academic staff association.
However, the amount raised was insufficient to meet the treatment expenses, following which Mago approached the vice-chancellor for further assistance.
The university statement credited Registrar Vikas Gupta, South Campus Director Rajni Abbi and other committee members for their role in the approval of the financial assistance. It said the decision was taken in view of the urgency of the child’s treatment and the need to ensure that financial constraints did not delay medical care.
Daughter of faculty with genetic disorder to gain
The sum of `17 crore will aid in the treatment of a nine-month-old child suffering from spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) Type-II, a rare genetic disorder, according to a university statement. The child is the daughter of a faculty member at the university’s School of Open Learning (SOL). The initiative was taken by SOL director Payal Mago