15 children from Kashmir receive free treatment for congenital heart defect

A group of 15 children from Kashmir was treated for congenital heart defects (CHD) for free at a private hospital in Gurgaon with the help of two philanthropic bodies, the facility said on Monday.

According to 'Congenital Heart Disease in India: A Status Report', CHD accounts for 10 per cent of infant mortality in India, the Fortis Group said in a statement.

The children were treated at Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI) in Gurgaon recently as part of Fortis Foundation's 'Umeed Dhadkan' initiative, and the free surgeries were also supported by Rotary Club of Delhi East End, Have A Heart Foundation along with Fortis Foundation.

A CHD can be defined as a structural or functional abnormality in the heart, which presents itself at the time of birth.

"It poses a great threat to the life of the newborn and can result in death. It has an incidence rate of 2.25 to 5.2 per 1000 live births and accounts for two-thirds of all major birth defects," the Fortis Group said in the statement.