The project has been instituted with an aim that no one should die of
heart disease just because they cannot otherwise afford treatment
Heart Care Foundation of India, a leading
national non-profit organization committed to making India a healthier and
disease free nation today launched its new initiative,
the Sameer Malik Heart Care Foundation Fund. The basic ideology behind the fund
is to ensure that no person dies of a heart disease just because he or she
cannot afford treatment. The launch event was held on the occasion of World Heart Day in the presence of none
other than renowned motivational speaker and internationally acclaimed author
Dr. Deepak Chopra at the Kedar Nath Sahni Auditorium in New Delhi. Any person
irrespective of their gender, religion or age can apply for the benefits of the
fund by calling on its helpline number +919958771177.
Research indicates that in the National Capital of India itself, 19
patients die directly due to heart disease everyday. Several of the heart
conditions are curable and death is preventable; however, not everyone can
afford the treatment and hospital costs. The Sameer Malik Heart Care Foundation
Fund is an attempt to bridge this disparity and provide individuals the ability
to live a healthy- and disease-free life. Since the inception of the
project in April 2014, over 200 patients belonging to economically weaker
sections of the society have already been helped and treated. The aim is to
take this number up to 600 by the end of the first year itself.
Speaking
at the occasion Dr. Deepak Chopra,
the New Age Motivational Guru and Internationally Acclaimed Author said, “Heart
disease is becoming a global problem and its implications in a country like
India where majority of the people cannot afford treatment is huge. I applaud
NGOs like the Heart Care Foundation of India for playing such an instrumental
role in spreading preventive health awareness in the country and providing
effective solutions for the economically weaker sections of the society. The
Sameer Malik Heart Care Foundation Fund is a noble project aimed at ensuring
that no person dies of heart disease because they cannot afford treatment. I
urge everyone to come forward and support Dr.
KK Aggarwal and his team in making this a success”.
Adding
to this, Dr. KK Aggarwal, Padma
Shri, National Science and Communication and Dr. BC Roy Awardee and President of the Heart Care Foundation of
India said, ”We at Heart Care Foundation of India are
committed to raising awareness and providing effective solutions to the growing
medical problems in the country. As a part of this endeavor, in addition to our
two flagship projects the Perfect Health Mela, a mass health awareness module;
and the Hands Only CPR campaign, a project to educate the masses about revival
after sudden cardiac arrest; we have launched the Sameer Malik Heart Care
Foundation Fund to help save lives of all those heart patients who cannot
afford treatment. We are extremely thankful to Dr. Deepak Chopra and the Malik
Family for supporting us in this cause and hope that we can continue to make a
difference to the society in the future”.
An expert
committee assesses all applications received by the Sameer Malik Heart Care
Foundation Fund. Once sanctioned, the funds are directly deposited in the bank
account of the medical establishments treating the patient. Heart Care
Foundation of India provides surgeries in association
with leading hospitals in the capital city such as Medanta – The Medcity and
National Heart Institute for surgical treatments and also provides lodging
facilities at concessional rates for outstation patients. In order to reach more patients, a mass patient screening drive
will be conducted at the 21st MTNL Perfect Health Mela, another
project of the NGO scheduled to be held between October 15-19, 2014 at
Talkatora Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.
Commenting
on its partnership with the project for the treatment of patients with
congenital heart diseases, Dr. Naresh Trehan,
Chairman of Medanta - The Medicity said, “In India itself 1.3 lakh children are
born with congenital heart disease every year
and can live a healthy life with timely surgery. Understanding the plight of
the large number of people who don’t have the means to opt for this surgery, we
at Medanta - The Medicity are supporting the Sameer Malik Heart Care Foundation
Fund in its effort to ensure that no person dies of heart disease just because
they cannot afford treatment”.
Addressing
the press, Mr. Raghuvinder Kataria,
a leading Entrepreneur, International Investor and the Chief Patron of Heart
Care Foundation of India said, “On behalf of the Malik family and myself, I
congratulate Heart Care Foundation of India on a project as noble as the Sameer
Malik Heart Care Foundation Fund.With each life saved, Sameer continues to live
in our hearts”.
Other dignitaries present at
the occasion included Mr. Mukul Rohatagi,
Attorney General of India, Mr. Satish Upadhyay, BJP Delhi President
and Dr. OP Yadava, Chairman National
Heart Institute.
