Times of India
30 July 2010
By Somdatta Basu
Kolkata, India

This will be a healing touch from Kolkata to the children of Nigeria. Ten children from the African country will be arriving in the city of joy in a month to get treated for their cardiac ailments.

All of them are below 10 years of age, most have holes in the heart. The majority of the kids are from the province of Edo in Nigeria. They cannot afford the treatment and neither does their country have the facilities to cure such ailments.

They will be treated at Rabindra Nath Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences in Kolkata and subsidized cost. After this first batch of 10, more kids will be treated from countries like Lagos and Benin.

The surgery costs upwards of Rs 1 lakh but for these kids the hospital will charge Rs 60,000.“We will pay for the surgery and post–operative care. We are also bearing the airfare,” said Vishnu Dhandhania, assistant governor, Rotary Club of Calcutta Metropolitan, 3291 district. The family members of the children had approached the Rotary Club in their respective districts.“The kids then underwent medical check–ups in their country and the reports were sent to RN Tagore Hospital. Only the critical cases were referred here.”

The project is part of a medical mission to provide treatment to people in Nigeria. A team of surgeons from Kolkata and eastern India has already been to Nigeria.