KOCHI : Amrita Hospital, Kochi, has partnered with the Government of Jharkhand to provide free cardiac surgeries and pediatric heart care for financially disadvantaged children suffering from congenital and acquired heart diseases. As part of this initiative, over 2,000 children have been screened across Jharkhand through outreach programs, and 75 children have successfully undergone free cardiac surgeries at Amrita Hospital, Kochi.In recognition of the hospital’s humanitarian efforts, Shashi Prakash Jha, IAS, Mission Director of the National Health Mission (NHM) Jharkhand, presented a memento to Mata Amritanandamayi Devi at Amritapuri. Dr. Brijesh P.K., Head of Pediatric Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at Amrita Hospital Kochi, and Shiv Prakash Bagaria, Coordinator of the Amrita Jharkhand Initiative, were also present during the ceremony.
The partnership encompasses training local healthcare workers in Jharkhand for early detection of congenital heart defects and arranging follow-up care for patients. Dr. R. Krishna Kumar, Head of Pediatric Cardiology and Clinical Professor at Amrita Hospital, Kochi, noted that the collaboration will expand expert cardiac care to more children across the state. Over the past 25 years, Amrita Hospital’s pediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery departments have performed approximately 32,500 surgeries and interventions, providing more than 24,300 of these procedures completely free or at subsidized rates. Amrita Hospital maintains a similar Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Odisha as part of its ongoing social commitment to pediatric heart care.
