Expressnews
Chennai, March 6th, 2023: Aishwarya Trust has completed 15 years of its Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) Program, making it the longest running Paediatric Cardiac Care Program of its kind in India.
Aishwarya Trust was started in 2008 by Mrs. Chitra Viswanathan (along with her father Mr. K Nagarajan and Dr. K R Balakrishnan) in memory of her daughter Aishwarya, who succumbed to a congenital heart defect at a tender age. A registered public charitable trust, Aishwarya Trust’s mission is to fund and enable lifesaving surgeries of under privileged children suffering from Congenital Heart Defects (CHD).
Aishwarya Trust (AT) runs a comprehensive CHD Program in Tamil Nadu to screen children from economically vulnerable backgrounds for CHD and help those diagnosed with CHD to get access to the best available treatment in the country, thereby giving them a new lease of life. In exceptional cases, where heart transplant is the only option for saving a life, Aishwarya Trust also supports paediatric heart transplants. Aishwarya Trust has been authorised by the Govt. of Tamilnadu to run free screening camps under the aegis of the RBSK (Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram) Program of the National Rural Health Mission.
Aishwarya Trust works with a network of committed donors including corporate donors and partner hospitals like MGM Healthcare, Chennai so that underprivileged children diagnosed with CHD in its camps get the best in class treatment for CHD, completely free of charge.
Mrs. Chitra Viswanathan, Managing Trustee of Aishwarya Trust said “It is a matter of great pride that we have successfully completed 15 years of service without a break, helping save the lives of thousands of underprivileged children who otherwise could not have been able to either access or afford the required treatment for their condition. We are deeply grateful to our donors and doctors who made it possible and our partner hospitals who supported us in our mission. Last but not the least, we are indebted to the Govt. of Tamilnadu for their support throughout.”
Dr. K R Balakrishnan, Trustee & Head of Medical Panel of Aishwarya Trust added“Congenital Heart Defect is an under – recognised problem in India. It has been very gratifying to work with Aishwarya Trust all these years in helping countless young children get back to a normal life. A milestone like this gives us an opportunity to rededicate ourselves to our mission of saving young lives.”
Felicitating Aishwarya Trust on the completion of 15 years, Dr. Prashanth Rajagopalan, Director, MGM Healthcare, said “We are happy to partner with Aishwarya Trust in the longest running paediatric cardiac care program in India. With this remarkable achievement, we are further committed to expand and grow this program to newer heights by leveraging our investments in the latest medical technologies and best clinical talent.”
Aishwarya Trust celebrated the milestone of its fifteenth anniversary on 4th March 2023 at MGM Healthcare. Several children who underwent CHD surgery and retuned to a normal life thereafter participated in events like drawing, fancy dress and singing competitions, with prizes distributed to the winners. Several Donors and Patrons were felicitated on the occasion.
