LRH conducts over 100 paediatric cardiac surgeries

PESHAWAR: The Paediatric Cardiac Surgery Department of Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) has completed more than 100 cardiac surgeries of children suffering from cardiac complications.

The Paediatric Cardiac Surgery Department of the LRH has become the only such facility in the province that is taking care of the paediatric cardiac patients. Mohammad Asim Khan, LRH media manager, said that a trained team of paediatric cardiac surgeons performed over 100 cardiac surgeries, including some sensitive procedures.

He said some complex surgeries were conducted with 4 percent mortality. He said the LRH had trained and professional paediatric intensivists and paediatric cardiologists and cardiac surgeons working together to save lives and deal with high-risk cases.

“We are the only hospital performing paediatric cardiac surgeries as the Peshawar Institute of Cardiology (PIC) has stopped performing such procedures because there is no paediatric cardiac surgeon. We are conducting the surgeries free of charge under the sehat sahulat card as it costs from Rs500,000 to Rs700,00 in private sector hospitals,” Asim explained.

According to the media manager, they shared much of the burden of paediatric cardiac surgeries after these were stopped in PIC due to infections a few months ago. “We have hired a paediatric intensivist who is an expert in ICU care for paediatric patients. We have a well-equipped ICU for the children,” he added.

Asim said that some of the poor people were reluctant to bring patients requiring cardiac surgeries as they feared the treatment would be beyond their means. He said that when they were informed that they would not spend a penny and the treatment would be provided under the sehat sahulat card, they prayed for the government and LRH staff helping the poor people.