Aster Hospitals to provide free surgeries to 100 poor children

Bengaluru: On the occasion of Children's Day, Aster Hospitals in India, as a part of Aster Volunteers Global CSR initiative has launched the 'Second Life- Because Little Lives Matter' initiative. The yearlong initiative is aimed at supporting the medical treatment of disadvantaged children, where the initial aim is to help treat at least 100 children below the age of 12 years by providing free paediatric surgeries. The initiative extends help to deserving children who are being treated across Aster Hospitals based in 5 States in India.

This includes common childhood surgeries such as appendicitis, intussusception, empyema and paediatric urology surgeries as well as complex clinical surgeries including bone marrow transplant, liver transplants, heart surgeries, etc. Dr. Nitish Shetty, Regional Director, Aster Hospitals, Karnataka and Maharashtra Cluster, Farhan Yasin, Regional Director, Aster Hospitals - Kerala & Oman Cluster and Devanand KT, Regional CEO, Aster Hospitals - Telangana & Andhra Pradesh Cluster were present at the launch of the campaign in Bangalore, on Monday.

The treatment will be funded by Aster DM Foundation or with the support of philanthropists / NGOs. A criterion has been established by the foundation to identify the eligibility of cases for the program; these will be assessed based on the socio- economic status and BPL category as well as the medical outcome of the child prior to commencement of selection and subsequent treatment. Furthermore, a 24X7 multi- lingual helpline number has been set up at Calicut to manage enquiries, the helpline can be accessed by dialing +91 9633620660.

Speaking on the initiative Aster DM Healthcare Founder Chairman and Managing Director, Dr. Azad Moopen said, "In India, where a significant segment of the population still remains below the poverty line, many families with an ailing child struggle to afford the advanced surgery needed to save the lives of their little ones. In most cases, paediatric organ transplants, bone-marrow transplant, cardiac surgeries or even common surgeries can not only give young children a second shot at a better life but also save an entire family from falling into the depths of despair. While our Aster Hospitals in India, based in the 5 States, have emerged as Centres of Excellence in advanced paediatric care and surgeries and our doctors have been known to set global benchmarks in advanced surgical interventions, we sincerely hope that with this effort, we are able to provide a second chance to young children to live their lives to the fullest and achieve their dreams."

The Regional Director, Aster Hospitals, Karnataka and Maharashtra Cluster, Dr. Nitish Shetty said, "The launch of the Second Life Initiative is to structure a change that will eventually have a positive impact on the lives of disadvantaged children from a long-term perspective. We aim to leverage inherent and individual strengths of several of our hospitals to fulfil and deliver on these clinical interventions. At Aster, it is our motto to bring great healthcare within the reach of all individuals, our highly experienced experts at Aster Hospital's will be dedicating a minimum 10 per cent of their man hours to help these children and give them a well-deserved second chance at life".