The Kauvery Hospital in Chennai on Sunday announced ‘Project Thalirgal’, a new initiative in asscoiation with Rotary Club of Madras North and the Tamil Nadu government, to provide corrective surgeries for treating congenital abnormalities in the spine and brain for babies, at no cost. Tamil Nadu Health Minister Dr Vijaya Bhaskar was the chief guest for the event.
In a press release, the hospital said that Project Thalirgal involves a three-way partnership, adding, "Helping the underprivileged sections of society to meet the financial requirements and giving a new lease of life to babies with congenital abnormalities, Kauvery hospital has stepped forward to provide surgical treatment with advanced medical facilities at a subsidised value. In addition to the costs covered by the CM Health Scheme, the remaining subsidised expenses will be borne by Rotary Club of Madras North which has raised a total grant of approximately Rs 50 lakh."
"As part of the program, government institutions and other centres will help identify babies who require surgery and perform the necessary pre-operation investigations. After the necessary investigations are completed, the baby will be taken to Kauvery Hospital for the surgery. Once the surgery is completed, the baby will be shifted back to a government institution for post-operative care, or treated in Kauvery Hospital itself," the release added.
As a pilot study, Kauvery Hospital said that it had successfully performed surgery on 39 babies with the support of hospital subsidy and no doctor’s fees.
Speaking about the project, Dr. G Balamurali, Senior Consultant Spine and Neurosurgeon, Kauvery Hospital said, “Through this project, various congenital abnormalities of the spine like spina bifid, myelomeningocele, tethered cord, scoliosis and abnormalities in the brain ike hydrocephalus and encephalocele can be treated. There are several challenges in the treatment and care of these babies and with the support of Kauvery Hospital management, government funds from schemes and grants from Rotary Club of Madras North we have operated 39 babies free of cost. The operations have been very successful with excellent results."
Dr Aravindan Selvaraj, Executive director of Kauvery Hospital, Chennai said that he was very commited to this cause, adding, “Kauvery hospital has been a pioneer in delivering the best of the healthcare by leveraging on the advancement of medical sciences for the past 20 years. We firmly commit ourselves that these advanced surgical treatments be available to all sections of the society, including the underprivileged.
Olivannan, from the Rotary Club of Madras North, said, "In the first phase we would be doing surgeries for approximately 70 babies. The total cost of the project is approximately Rs 33 lakh. This mammoth project was largely funded by The Rotary Foundation."
The hospital said that for further information or for those seeking help under Project Thalirgal, they could contact the helpline number: 8754456711