AMU doctors save 7-month-old girl with critical heart disease
Aligarh, Aug 25 : Doctors at the Aligarh Muslim University's Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College (JNMC) successfully performed a four-hour-long operation to set right a severe congenital anomaly that had threatened the life of a seven-month-old girl.
Doctors said only a few centres in north India could perform this critical procedure.
Mahira, daughter of Salman, a resident of Aligarh's Jawan area, owes her life to the leader of the team, cardiothoracic surgeon Mohammad Hanif Beg, who is also the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Pro Vice Chancellor.
Since one of the heart chambers of the infant was not developed and there was a hole in her heart, it resulted in the mixing of pure and impure blood, the doctors said on Saturday, adding that the child suffered blue discoloration, rapid and distressed breathing and feeding difficulty among other problems.
For the procedure performed on Friday, blood from the baby's head, neck and arms was routed to her lungs. The girl has now been discharged to live a healthy life, the doctors said.
M.H. Beg said the surgery was done free of cost under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), a government initiative under the National Health Mission.
The JNMC is the only centre in western Uttar Pradesh with facilities for complex cardiac surgeries of children, doctor Azam Haseen said.
More than 80 children with heart diseases have benefited from the RBSK programme at JNMC, Uzma Firdaus, Nodal Officer, District Early Intervention Centre, Aligarh said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
'Will do whatever the party asks me to': Shivakumar on Odisha Cong MLAs camping in Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday said though he had not brought the Congress MLAs from Odisha to Bengaluru ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections in that state, he will follow the party's directives.
His remarks come after a group of Odisha Congress legislators were moved to Bengaluru amid apprehensions of cross-voting in the March 16 biennial election.
According to party insiders, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president D K Shivakumar oversaw the logistical arrangements for their stay in the city.
The legislators are currently staying at the resort facility of an amusement park, located about 35 kms from Bengaluru.
Congress sources said the MLAs are expected to remain there until Monday morning before returning to Bhubaneswar to participate in the voting for the Rajya Sabha election.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said he did not bring them, though he will do whatever the party leadership asks him to.
“Look, whatever the party asks us to do, we must do. These things are happening in every state across the country; it’s nothing new. Since they (Odisha MLAs) have come, I will meet them. They asked me for time, but I told them not to come here (Vidhana Soudha) because the Assembly session is going on. I said I would come after finishing the Assembly work,” the Deputy CM said.
According to party sources, around eight MLAs from the party’s Odisha unit were flown from Bhubaneswar to Bengaluru late on Thursday night and have been accommodated at a resort on the outskirts of the city.
Six more legislators from Odisha along with their Congress Odisha unit president will be reaching Bengaluru in the night.
The move, party insiders said, is aimed at ensuring unity among the legislators in the run-up to the election.
Sources added that the decision was taken as a precautionary measure after the BJP fielded a second candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat, triggering intense political manoeuvring in the state.
“There were concerns about possible cross-voting and attempts to influence MLAs. As a safeguard, the leadership decided to move them out of the state until the voting,” a Congress functionary said.
“Six more MLAs and their party president are expected to arrive in Bengaluru by Friday night.”
The Congress currently has 14 MLAs in the Odisha Assembly and requires additional support to ensure the success of its Rajya Sabha nominee.
Sources said the party leadership feared possible political bargaining and inducements involving legislators from different parties ahead of the poll.
