SPEECH DELIVERED AT JUPITER HOSPITAL IN THANE ON 22ND DECEMBER 2018
D G Dr Ashish GANGULI, President Pallavi Sule, Dr Ajay Thackar —-
Rotary and it’s objectives –
Rotary ‘s Concerns toward Children—
Polio Eradicated—
India is a country with more than a billion population and a crude birth rate of 27.2/1000 population. This would amount to about 28 millions are born every year .
Going by an incidence of heart disease among Children – 8/1000 births, we could expect about 180,000 children born with an abnormal heart every year.
Of these, nearly 60,000-90,000 suffer from critical Hear issues requiring early intervention.
The total number of pediatric cardiac surgeries performed in 2004 was less than 2500 . In the year 2004, there were only 14 cardiac centers in the country scattered primarily in the capital or the southern part of the country. There were just about a dozen established pediatric cardiac surgeons in the country.
Many of the pediatric cardiac programs in the country are still “supported” by the adult cardiac program. This is primarily to “offset” the economically unviable pediatric program.
The pediatric cardiac surgical program is rendered unviable due to economically weaker young couple at the start of their careers not able to afford the cost of the surgery and lack of governmental support.
As a result, the specialty remained a “service” by the healthcare delivery systems to the society rather than remunerative.
On the other hand, large adult cardiac units consider having a pediatric cardiac program as a mere “status” symbol, in order to claim that their facility is indeed a complete cardiac surgical unit.
Comprehensive pediatric health care can only be provided in sophisticated tertiary corporate sector hospitals. Governmental institutions with their limitations of infrastructure, equipments and specialized support systems required cannot afford such facilities in large numbers.
Perhaps, realizing their inadequacy, many of the states, especially in the southern part of the country, have chosen to support such patients through insurance schemes to facilitate surgeries at tertiary referral private hospitals.
There has been an overwhelming response to this initiative and has resulted in a sudden growth in the number of small and large cardiac centers throughout the south.
The emergence of nuclear families in the recent years has increased the value of babies unlike earlier days, and the parents who can afford better facilities are now eager to do everything possible to get their offsprings well. All these factors have resulted in an increase in pediatric cardiac surgical numbers in the last 5 years.
ROLE OF ROTARY IN INDIA TOWARDS PEDIATRIC HEART SURGERIES—
GIFT OF LIFE PROGRAM-
GLOBAL GRANTS-
STATISTICS-
MUMBAI AND THANE
CONGRATULATIONS TO ROTARY CLUB OF THANE PREMIUM FOR ACCEPTING THIS AS ONE OF THEIR PRIORITY AND GRATITUDE TO THE MANAGEMENT OF JUPITER HOSPITAL FOR THEIR SUPPORT.
THE SUPPORT FROM ADITYA BIRLA GROUP THROUGH THE GOOD OFFICES OF SMT RAJASHREE JI
Commitment- ROBERT FROST
The woods are lovely dark and deep ,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Good luck.
22 December 2018