Mumbai: Asmita Walve never realised that a delay in her daughter's heart treatment would have such serious consequences.
An operation to fix her 18-month-old daughter's malfunctioning heart was delayed due to several external reasons and when it finally took place last month, it resulted in complications that damaged 30% of the child's brain. Today, Sakshi Walve eyes vacuously stare into the space, without a flicker of recognition even when they rest on her parents. "She doesn't even respond to her name being called out or to any other stimulus,'' says Asmita, trying to fight her tears back.
Sakshi's story is a proof of inadequate paediatric cardiac care in the city. Though 2 lakh children are born every year with congenital heart ailments, the public sector hospitals are too busy with adult heart problems—an epidemic in the country—to handle children's cases. In the private sector, there are only a handful of options and all of them come with a hefty price tag.
Sakshi's operation was twice scheduled at civic-run KEM Hospital in Parel, but didn't take place. She was finally operated upon at Wockhardt Hospital in Mulund and it took her parents Rs 4.21 lakh. "We have paid Rs 2 lakh that we managed to collect from various sources. But don't know how to raise the rest of the amount,'' said Ajit Walve, who works as an office assistant with a monthly earning Rs 6,550.
So, what ails paediatric heart care? Dr Prafulla Kerk-ar, head of the cardiology department in KEM Hospital, said, "None of the civic hospitals here has a separate department for paediatric cardiology. We have two senior doctors in our department who perform surgeries on children twice a week.''
JJ Hospital, on an average, performs 50 pediatric heart surgeries per year. "We need more funds and more surgeons with expertise who can do the job faster,'' said Dr Bansal, head of cardiology in JJ Hospital.
Long waiting lists are the order of the day. "We deal with a large number of patients whom we treat on the basis of the seriousness of their cases. If a patient needs an operation urgently, we perform it immediately. Otherwise, the number of cases is so large that patient may have to wait for five to eight months for an operation,'' Dr Kerkar added.
Take Sakshi's case as an example. Her problem was first diagnosed when she was three months old. "The doctors told us she had tetralogy of fallot (a malformed heart that let impure blood contaminate the pure blood). We took her to KEM Hospital in November 2007 and were given a date in May 2008 for the operation,'' said her father Ajit. But Sakshi could not be operated upon at that time due to an infection, as a result of which the surgery was slated for October 2008.
"In October, we were told to deposit Rs 60,000 or the hospital would not conduct the surgery. As we failed to get that amount, the doctors discharged her and told us to come back after arranging the money,'' said Asmita.
In early 2009, the family consulted a private doctor who said that any delay would cost Sakshi her life. "It was no use going back to KEM Hospital as they would have given a date some six months later. So we borrowed and sought help from the hospital's social workers to raise the money,'' said Ajit.
Sakshi was admitted to Wockhardt Hospital on June 29 and was operated upon three days later. But during the operation, her blood pressure dropped to a dangerous level, affecting the flow of oxygen to her brain. "As a result, 30% of her brain was damaged,'' said Asmita.
Dr Suresh Joshi, chief pediatric heart surgeon in Wockhardt Hospital, said that there were four defects in Sakshi's heart. "We had to perform an open- heart surgery, which should have ideally been done a few months ago,'' he said. However, he added that "in such cases, the patients recover on their own''. The Walves are waiting for the moment Sakshi returns to her normal self, but the bills are mounting.
Andhra govt succour Andhra Pradesh has an insurance scheme for children in BPL families. "The premium for poor families is paid by the government. Each child who needs a heart surgery is paid Rs 2 lakh by the government. They can then get the operation done in a government or a corporate hospital,'' said leading paediatric surgeon Dr K S Murthy from Innova Children's Heart Hospital in Hyderabad.
An operation to fix her 18-month-old daughter's malfunctioning heart was delayed due to several external reasons and when it finally took place last month, it resulted in complications that damaged 30% of the child's brain. Today, Sakshi Walve eyes vacuously stare into the space, without a flicker of recognition even when they rest on her parents. "She doesn't even respond to her name being called out or to any other stimulus,'' says Asmita, trying to fight her tears back.
Sakshi's story is a proof of inadequate paediatric cardiac care in the city. Though 2 lakh children are born every year with congenital heart ailments, the public sector hospitals are too busy with adult heart problems—an epidemic in the country—to handle children's cases. In the private sector, there are only a handful of options and all of them come with a hefty price tag.
Sakshi's operation was twice scheduled at civic-run KEM Hospital in Parel, but didn't take place. She was finally operated upon at Wockhardt Hospital in Mulund and it took her parents Rs 4.21 lakh. "We have paid Rs 2 lakh that we managed to collect from various sources. But don't know how to raise the rest of the amount,'' said Ajit Walve, who works as an office assistant with a monthly earning Rs 6,550.
So, what ails paediatric heart care? Dr Prafulla Kerk-ar, head of the cardiology department in KEM Hospital, said, "None of the civic hospitals here has a separate department for paediatric cardiology. We have two senior doctors in our department who perform surgeries on children twice a week.''
JJ Hospital, on an average, performs 50 pediatric heart surgeries per year. "We need more funds and more surgeons with expertise who can do the job faster,'' said Dr Bansal, head of cardiology in JJ Hospital.
Long waiting lists are the order of the day. "We deal with a large number of patients whom we treat on the basis of the seriousness of their cases. If a patient needs an operation urgently, we perform it immediately. Otherwise, the number of cases is so large that patient may have to wait for five to eight months for an operation,'' Dr Kerkar added.
Take Sakshi's case as an example. Her problem was first diagnosed when she was three months old. "The doctors told us she had tetralogy of fallot (a malformed heart that let impure blood contaminate the pure blood). We took her to KEM Hospital in November 2007 and were given a date in May 2008 for the operation,'' said her father Ajit. But Sakshi could not be operated upon at that time due to an infection, as a result of which the surgery was slated for October 2008.
"In October, we were told to deposit Rs 60,000 or the hospital would not conduct the surgery. As we failed to get that amount, the doctors discharged her and told us to come back after arranging the money,'' said Asmita.
In early 2009, the family consulted a private doctor who said that any delay would cost Sakshi her life. "It was no use going back to KEM Hospital as they would have given a date some six months later. So we borrowed and sought help from the hospital's social workers to raise the money,'' said Ajit.
Sakshi was admitted to Wockhardt Hospital on June 29 and was operated upon three days later. But during the operation, her blood pressure dropped to a dangerous level, affecting the flow of oxygen to her brain. "As a result, 30% of her brain was damaged,'' said Asmita.
Dr Suresh Joshi, chief pediatric heart surgeon in Wockhardt Hospital, said that there were four defects in Sakshi's heart. "We had to perform an open- heart surgery, which should have ideally been done a few months ago,'' he said. However, he added that "in such cases, the patients recover on their own''. The Walves are waiting for the moment Sakshi returns to her normal self, but the bills are mounting.
Andhra govt succour Andhra Pradesh has an insurance scheme for children in BPL families. "The premium for poor families is paid by the government. Each child who needs a heart surgery is paid Rs 2 lakh by the government. They can then get the operation done in a government or a corporate hospital,'' said leading paediatric surgeon Dr K S Murthy from Innova Children's Heart Hospital in Hyderabad.
Sakshi Walve
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