KOCHI: Simran, a five-year-old girl from a Bihar village, can now undergo her heart surgery free thanks to the Amrita-ViswaSanthi Health Care scheme that has been extended to children outside Kerala as well. The scheme was inaugurated by actor Mohanlal in a function held at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) Kochi on Monday. ViswaSanthi, a non-profit organisation established by Mohanlal in the name of his parents, has been involved in health care for nearly 10 years.
The project in association with AIMS will bear the entire expense of heart surgeries of children below the age of 18 years from socio-economically backward sections. The announcement of the extension of the scheme came on the day of Mohanlal’s mother’s birthday.
“ViswaSanthi Foundation was formed to support those poor sections of the society. Last year the foundation distributed around `2 crores as financial aid in Kerala itself. Now children from across the state can reap the benefits of the project,” said Mohanlal. This endeavour meets all the heart surgery requirements of children of those sections even in far off states including Uttar Pradesh, Jammu Kashmir, Lakshadweep, and Bihar.
P E B Menon Managing Director of the ViswaSanthi Foundation, actor and director Major Ravi, Dr Prem Nair, medical director, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Suresh Idamannel, Swami Turiyamritananda Puri, and Dr R Krishna Kumar, head of pediatric cardiology at AIMS were also present.