Manipur achieves milestone with first free heart surgeries in new cardiac OT

The National Health Mission (NHM) in Manipur announced a milestone achievement with the successful completion of the first free heart operations in the newly constructed State of the Art Modular Cardiac Operation Theatre (OT) at the Regional Paediatric Cardiothoracic Unit. The operations, conducted under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) in collaboration with RIMS Hospital, marked a significant advancement in the state's healthcare delivery system.

Led by Prof. Thokchom Chito, the RIMS Cardiothoracic Surgery (CTVS) team performed the groundbreaking surgeries on two young girls, aged 3 and 6, both suffering from congenital heart diseases. The operations took place on June 11 and the children were successfully discharged on June 19.

This historic event underscores the government’s commitment to providing free healthcare services, alleviating the financial burden on families by eliminating out-of-pocket expenses for such critical treatments.

For ongoing support, RBSK OPDs for screening and consultation of children with congenital heart diseases are available at the RIMS Cardiothoracic OPD every Monday from 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm and every Friday from 8:00 am to 1:30 pm, effective from April 1, 2024.