XtraTime Web Desk: Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar on Thursday announced that he will be sponsoring 34 lifesaving heart surgeries for children suffering from cardiac disease. Speaking at the opening of Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani International Centre for Child Heart Care in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, the little master said, “These tiny tots are waiting for their hearts to be healed. Paediatric cardiac treatment should be within the reach of every child and every parent irrespective of financial or social status. I am pleased that Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Centre is now open in Mumbai and will provide precious life-saving service to the people.”
These paediatric heart surgeries are for children from economically and socially challenged sections of society and will be done over the next few months.The state-of-the-art centre is the first such centre in the west zone and will provide free of cost services, based on Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s model of quality healthcare. The first paediatric cardiac surgery is scheduled for later this month.
The centre will treat children with congenital heart disease who are awaiting surgical intervention.
Each year, approximately 240,000 children are born in India with congenital heart disease. Of these, approximately 40% die before their third birthday.