10-yr-old with heart disease gets new lease of life

Strap/blurb: Labourer’s son treated free of cost under Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram

Quote: Health screening at school

“A team of doctors from Civil Hospital, Dhudike, visited his school and found out Bikram was suffering from a congenital heart disease. After bringing the matter into the notice of the higher authorities in the department, the surgery was performed free of cost.” — Vindeshwar Singh, boy’s father

Kulwinder Sandhu

Tribune News Service

Moga, June 28

A 10-year-old son of a migrant labourer, hailing from Bihar, got a new lease of life in Punjab after the health department authorities in Moga initiated efforts for his heart surgery, free of cost, at the Fortis Hospital, Mohali, under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, a healthcare scheme launched by the Union Government for schoolgoing children up to 18 years.

Bikram Singh, son of Vindeshwar Singh, belongs to a poor family, who migrated from Bihar to Punjab to earn livelihood. His father has been working as a daily wage labourer, here, for the past couple of years.

Vindeshwar Singh said his son started having breathing problems at the age of two, even while walking at a slow pace. At times, he used to stumble and fall down, he said. He visited many hospitals in Nepal, Purnia, Patna, Panipat, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh for treatment of his son, but to no avail.

He said someone told him about the availability of good healthcare facilities in Punjab, so he made up his mind to come there, he said. Hoping for his son’s treatment, he moved to Bughipura village on the outskirts of Moga city and started working as a labourer at a local landlord’s farmhouse. He enrolled his son in the village government school.

Early, this year, a team of the health department comprising Simarpal Kaur and Neha Singla, doctors from Civil Hospital, Dhudike, visited the school at Bhughipura village and found out Bikram was suffering from a congenital heart disease. After bringing the matter into the notice of the higher authorities in the health department, the surgery was successfully performed free of cost at Fortis Hospital, Mohali, said his father. Now, Bikram has fully recovered from post-surgery conditions.

Dr Neelam Bhatia,Senior Medical Officer of Civil Hospital, Dhudike, said under the Rashtriya Bal Swasth Karyakaram, children up to the age of 18 years were screened in anganwaris and schools for providing free treatment for 30 deadly diseases. “Early detection of the disease, makes it possible to cure it,” she said. She appealed to the people to contact the health authorities immediately if any child had a serious illness. “Free treatment is possible in private hospitals under the National Child Health Programme,” she said.