For a family told their child needs heart surgery, the diagnosis is the first blow. The second blow is financial- in the form of a number they cannot possibly afford. For many parents across Kerala, that number has meant impossible choices — selling land, borrowing against their property, or simply holding hope.
A new partnership is setting out to address this problem of unaffordable surgeries.
Amrita Hospital, Kochi, and the K. Chittilappilly Foundation have launched ‘Hridaya Chittamritham’, an initiative offering free heart surgeries to children under the age of 18. Backing the programme is a commitment of ₹10 crore or ($1.04 million) in financial assistance from the K. Chittilappilly Foundation — support that will go directly towards giving children a chance at a full and healthy life, regardless of what their families can pay.
Kochouseph Chittilappilly, Chairman of the K. Chittilappilly Foundation, exchanged the MoU at a ceremony at Chittilappilly Square, Kakkanad,. Chittilappilly Foundation, and Dr. P. Prathapan Nair, Chief Medical Administrator at Amrita Hospital — two institutions with a long record of service, collaborating with compassion.
“I am happy that the K. Chittilappilly Foundation could partner with Amrita Hospital in such a major initiative,” said Kochouseph Chittilappilly, expressing hope that the programme would reach many children in need.
The ceremony opened with a welcome from Vinod S. M., Director – Social Initiatives at the K. Chittilappilly Foundation. Dr. Brijesh P. K., Professor and Head of the Department of Paediatric Cardiac Surgery at Amrita Hospital, laid out the objectives of Hridaya Chittamritham and explained how the programme will be put into practice — the logistics behind a promise that, for the families who receive it, will feel like nothing short of a reprieve.
Also present were Dr. R. Krishna Kumar, Professor and Head of the Department of Paediatric Cardiology; Dr. Balu Vaidyanathan; Dr. George Sleeba, Executive Director of the K. Chittilappilly Foundation; and B. Jayaraj, Joint Executive Director of the Foundation. Dr. Vishnu K. Santhosh, Senior Executive Officer at Amrita Hospital, delivered the vote of thanks.
The name itself carries the intent — hridaya, the heart. Behind the MoU signatures and the crore figures is a child who will be able to grow up healthily, and a family that gets to see their child survive and thrive.
For the children who need it most, that is everything.
