Gujarat Chief Minister Mr. Vijay Rupani inaugurated the 19th Annual Conference of Pediatric Cardiac Society of India at Mahatma Mandir in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Nitin Patel. Three doctors were conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award in this conference namely Mr. Ashwin Mehta of Jashlok Hospital who was conferred with the Padmashree in the year 2004. Dr. Mehta was the first one to start Angiography in children. The other person being Prof. Sunil Dalal of V.S Hospital who first started the Pacemaker Plantation and Dr. D.G Yagnik who first started the open heart surgery in the state. The CM honored these people with a shawl and a memento.
Giving details of the School Health Program, the CM said, ‘The state government provides free medical check up to children from 0 to 18 years. In case the child is diagonised with severe illnesses, the government provides for his/her treatment in any part of the country’. The CM also said that the state government has initiated Satellite Centres in Gandhinagar and Surat to provide primary and secondary level of cardiac treatment. He also stated that the state government plans to set up such centres in Sola (Ahmedabad), Rajkot Civil Hospital, Vadodara in addition to North Gujarat.
The CM further said that heart illnesses not only occur to old people but even to the new born and hence, it is the need of the hour to develop better facilities in order to save precious lives. He appealed the Pediatric Cardiac Society and the doctors to provide the best of the health care facilities through a sensitive approach to all the patients especially children. Mr. Rupani appreciated the U.N Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre which provides free medical treatment and treatment at cost effective prices to the needy, poor and the middle class families. As many as 18564 cardiac procedures and 5696 cardiac surgeries have been performed at 75%-85% less prices in the year 2017.
Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Nitin Patel told that it is a matter of great joy that Gujarat has super specialist doctors along with the required equipments and research methods which have produced positive results. He said that the treatment provided by U.N Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre not only benefits the people of the state but also to people from Rajasthan, M.P and a number of NRGs. He also added that a project worth Rs. 450 crores to spread the services of the U.N Mehta Institute is on the verge of completion. Apart from that, approval has been given to appoint more than 1500 medical and paramedical staff and the state government shall incur an annual cost of Rs. 150 crores for the same.
The Deputy CM added that the current Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi had started the School Health Checkup program during his term as the CM of the state. At present, as many as 1.5 crore children are availing benefits of this annually and it also helps in providing them with free treatment for illnesses related to the heart, kidney etc. He also added that the people of Gujarat will be able to reap maximum benefits through the Ayushman Bharat Yojana as envisioned by the PM. Mr. Patel showed immense faith that this conference will instill new life to the state government’s initiatives to combat heart diseases, malnutrition etc.
President of Pediatric Cardiac Society of India Dr. Shivprakash K., Vice President Dr. Snehal Kulkarni, Chief Secretary Dr. J.N Singh, Commissioner of Health Mrs. Jayanti Ravu, Director of U.N Mehta Institute Dr. R. K Patel, pediatricians , cardiac experts, doctors, and various other people were present on the occasion to mark their presence in this 3 day event.
