Free heart surgery for poor at Gujarat hospital

June 5, 2004

Newkerala.com

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Rajkot (Gujarat), June 3 (IANS) :

An industrialist's mission to help the poor is providing succour to

thousands of poor people who suffer from heart diseases.

For the last four years, the Sri Satya Sai Heart Hospital here has

been providing to the poor free medical care including heart

surgery, which otherwise can cost anything between Rs.50,000-

200,000.

Till date it has treated around 45,000 patients, who mostly come

from the 18,000 villages in Gujarat that lack primary healthcare

facilities.

It's a place Bhiniben Ahir, a 55-year-old from a village 350 km from

the state capital Gandhinagar, came after she had lost all hope. "I

had a hole in my heart and surgery cost Rs.50,000. I couldn't afford

and I was resigned to my fate.

"But then I heard about this hospital and I knew I would be able to

get cured."

Industrialist Kanubhai Patel started the hospital in August 2000

saying the Sai Baba had inspired him.

"Once I told (Sai) Baba that I wanted to do something for the

society. He said build a heart hospital for the poor," Patel,

chairman of the Vadodara-based Banko group, told IANS.

Patel contributed Rs.30 million to build the Rs.150 million

hospital, and the rest came from a cooperative bank.

"To serve the poor is our mission," said hospital trustee Manoj

Bhimani. "We performed 51 free heart surgeries in 51 days this

year."

The entrance of the hospital has several slogans emblazoned on it.

Among them - "Medical services provided should be free" and "Quality

that you give to the poor patient should not be inferior to that a

rich man can get".

And the hospital has inspired others to donate too. Spiritual leader

Swamy Sachchidanand donated Rs.25,000. "It is a temple of god in the

form of hospital," said Sachchidanand.

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