Hyderabad: Seven-year-old Shiva Kumar has come all the way to Hyderabad from a remote village in Andhra Pradesh to get his heart operated upon.
The treatment would have normally cost his family a couple of lakhs, but the state government has promised to pay for it.
However, Shiva is lucky to have been given compensation by the state. There are thousands of others who need heart surgery, but cannot afford it.
Says Cardiologist, Care Foundation, Dr Mannam Gopichand, "In Andhra Pradesh alone there are nearly ten thousand children with heart problems waiting for surgery. In the last one-and-a-half years we have operated on about 700. There are many more in the waiting list."
The Andhra Pradesh government had floated the Little Hearts Foundation to help children get free heart surgeries. But lack of funds became a huge problem.
However, the Andhra Government has come up with a unique solution to the problem of funds
People in Andhra Pradesh can now raise a toast without feeling guilty about it. That's because every drink they enjoy, will help save a child's heart.
AP Chief Minister YSR Reddy has decided to levy an extra one per cent surcharge on sale of alcohol and beer. The revenue collected will be used to these operations.
The state excise department collected Rs 2,600 crores from sales of alcohol last year. It's hoping to earn a similar amount this year too, and that is excellent news for ailing children.
Excise Commissioner, B R Meena says, "The CM relief fund has been giving a lot of priority to heart disease treatment for children. It is the right use of the money."
The surcharge has been levied from this month. And the excise department is hoping to donate at least Rs four crore every month for these surgeries.
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