ROTARY IN ACTION-Rotary Club of London plus 6 other Rotary Clubs and 3 Rotary Districts plus Rotary International contributed $107,109-USD to finance the cost of 64 Child Heart Surgeries in India. The portion that aligns with Rotary Club of London, it's District and related Rotary International contribution amounted to $42,000-USD.
Lead Rotary Club in India has now been involved with 3 Child Heart Surgery projects working in a similar fashion with Rotary Clubs & Districts around the world. Over 300 surgeries have been completed.
The project aims to support 64 children families for treatment of child heart surgeries free of cost. The project will provide the funds to Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Centre for Child Heart Care, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. These surgeries will benefit children from economically poor and marginalized families who are unable to afford the cost of life-saving procedures. The project will include diagnostics, surgery, and post-operative care. The project addresses the urgent need for affordable and accessible treatment for children with congenital heart disease (CHD) from economically disadvantaged families across India. CHD is the most common congenital birth defect, affecting 8–12 of every 1,000 live births, with nearly 200,000–250,000 new cases annually in India. Many children die due to lack of timely diagnosis, specialized pediatric cardiac facilities, and the high cost of treatment. Only one in four children who need surgery receive appropriate care. Families from low-income groups are unable to bear the financial burden, making CHD a leading cause of preventable child mortality. The treatment is free of cost to the children families. This project will provide free, life-saving cardiac surgeries for 64 children, thereby reducing child mortality, improving quality of life, and relieving financial stress on affected families.