Breathing life into blue babies

Shweta Kumari (11) is sad that she is unable to participate in the fun activities with her classmates. “I want to play and dance like my friends,” she bursts out in ­Bhojpuri. But the moment she exerts herself, she gasps for breath and her face turns bluish-black, says her mother Sushma Devi. Shweta was born with a congenital heart condition that places restrictions on her everyday activities, and palpitation, convulsion and dizziness mark her day. “We realised that she had a heart problem when we met a cardiologist at Ranchi but didn’t have the means to take it further,” says Sushma Devi, as they await their turn to meet the doctor at the Mahavir Vaatsalya hospital in Patna.

Meanwhile, inside the chamber, two doctors examine six-month-old Raj Nandini, who doesn’t look her age. She is so tiny and fragile that she could fit into a palm and her cry is feeble as the doctor takes her ECG. Dr Niranjan Dutta writes, “High risk”, in his records as he patiently tells the mother that the child has to undergo surgery at the earliest.

The hole in their tiny hearts is a huge trauma; let it not dig a hole in your pocket too.
— TRF Trustee Sushil Gupta

These children were part of the final screening camp organised by District 3250 at the hospital, in association with Rotary’s Gift of Life (GoL) programme. Paediatric cardiologists, Radhakrishnan and Niranjan Dutta, from Fortis-Escorts Hospital, Delhi, were examining child/teenage patients suffering from congenital heart ­disorders (CHD). The ­corrective surgery will be performed later at the hospital.

For over a month, the district has been organising initial CHD detection camps for the underprivileged villagers of Bihar and Jharkhand where paediatric cardiologists identified over 300 children with various forms of heart disorder.

“This is the first time the district is conducting such a massive CHD screening camp. All 92 clubs have come together to give new life to these children,” said DG Vivek Kumar.

The children, along with their parents, were brought to Patna for the final screening. “We identify children for surgery based on their ECG reports and general health conditions,” said
Dr Dutta. Surgery was not recommended for children above 15 years. By the end of the day, 187 children were shortlisted for surgery.

The genesis

It all started during the installation of the District Governor, when S P Bagaria, GoL’s State Coordinator for Bihar and Jharkhand and member of RC Giridih, requested DG Vivek to conduct a camp to treat children with CHD. He readily agreed.

“You just have to bring them to Delhi. The moment they set foot on our soil, they are our responsibility. GoL will take care of their boarding, lodging and hospital expenses. Do not charge anything from the patients,” said TRF Trustee Sushil Gupta to the Rotarians managing the camp.

He and PRID Ashok Mahajan interacted with the doctors and patients’ families. “You do not have to spend money for your child’s treatment, we’ll take care of it. As such, the hole in their tiny hearts is a huge trauma; let it not dig a hole in your pocket too,” he assured the parents.

The clubs had organised transport for people from various localities across the two States. About 100 Rotaractors from 13 clubs also pitched in enthusiastically with back-end support. “It was a wonderful, yet sobering experience. It made us realise the value of life and how blessed we are,” said DRR ­Vaibhav Thakur.

The Rotaractors have been promoting the programme on social media and spreading the message to villagers in semi-urban and rural areas through posters and handbills. “Nearly 4,000 news items on the topic have been published. We want a maximum number of people to benefit from this camp,” said Sushil Poddar, the Project Chair. Trustee Gupta added that this will help in promoting Rotary’s public image.

PRID Mahajan recalled the days when polio was widespread in Bihar, and acknowledged the efforts of Rotarians such as PDG L B Singh and Syed Shamael Ahmad for providing a breakthrough for the Muslim population resisting the vaccine. “The situation was such that only if UP and Bihar became polio-free, India would be polio-free. Connecting with the Ulemas helped achieve this in a big way,” he said.

He commended the district for giving children the zindagi ka tofa, saying, “when we have accepted Service above Self as our motto, why should we play in the shallow waters? Let us take such magnificent projects and gift a longer life to such children. Resources will fall in place when you take the first step forward.”

Kishore Kunal, Secretary of the Mahavirsthan Trust that runs this hospital, said, “We’ll also perform free heart surgeries here as soon as our new OT is ready. Presently, we’ll examine children and send them to hospitals that you suggest. We’ll bear the expenses,” he said. The trust operates five hospitals for various specialties and is supported with revenue generated through sale of Tirupati laddus specially made at their Hanuman Mandir.

“All the 187 children will be treated within a year. We’ll get things organised for them,” assured DG Vivek, referring to the entire exercise as “manav kalyan ka maha yagna.”

Rotarians from Delhi clubs (D 3011 and 3012) were also present. Rotary clubs of D 3250 donated milk powder for the neonates in the hospital and wheelchairs for the cancer hospital.