15 years’ in service of children with congenital heart defects

Aishwarya Trust completed 15 years of its congenital heart disease programme on March 4 by organising fancy dress, singing and drawing competitions for its beneficiaries.

The longest running paediatric cardiac care programme was launched in 2008 by Chitra Viswanathan and her father K. Nagarajan and cardiothoracic surgeon K.R. Balakrishnan, in memory of her daughter Aishwarya who died of a congenital heart defect at a young age. 

The trust offers free screening camps under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram of the National Rural Health Mission. The Trust works with a network of donors and partner hospitals such as MGM Healthcare that offer free treatment for CHD. 

Ms. Viswanathan thanked the donors, the hospitals and the State government for its support. Trustee and head of medical panel at the Trust, Dr. Balakrishnan said congenital heart defect is an under-recognised problem in the country. It was gratifying to work with Aishwarya Trust and helping young children return to normal life, he said. Prashanth Rajagopalan, director of MGM Healthcare termed it a remarkable achievement for the Trust.