Lucknow, 30 August, 2024: Medanta Super Specialty Hospital in Lucknow is now offering comprehensive treatment for children with congenital heart diseases. This includes heart surgery for children and newborns, pediatric and newborn intensive care, and pediatric cardiology services. This advanced unit is the first of its kind in the state, eliminating the need for families to travel long distances for treatment. Dr. Gauranga Majumdar, Director of the Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery Department at Medanta Hospital, explains that approximately 50,000 children are born with congenital heart diseases in Uttar Pradesh each year. Of these, around 10,000 require immediate surgical intervention. Symptoms in newborns can include heart blocks, holes in hearts, cyanosis (blue baby syndrome), narrowed and leaking arteries heart valves, improper great vessel development, and reversed main arteries.Families face daunting challenges traveling long distances, risking children’s lives due to the journey, heat, and exhaustion. World-Class Born Kids Heart Care Unit Now, these children can receive exceptional cardiac care at Medanta Hospital, all under one roof. The hospital’s cardiac surgery department, founded in 2019 by distinguished cardiac surgeon Dr. Gauranga Majumdar, has already conducted over 3,000 heart surgeries on both adults and children. The newly established Pediatric Cardiac Services unit, which started in May 2024, is the first private facility in Uttar Pradesh dedicated to this specialty. Dr. Mahendra Narwaley, a leading pediatric cardiac surgeon formerly with Alder Hey Hospital in the UK, has recently joined the department and leading the neonatal cardiac surgery unit. He is supported by an expert team, including senior cardiac surgeons from the Department, Pediatric Cardiologist Dr. Roli Shrivastava, Cardiac Anaesthetist Dr. Mojahid, and Dr. Aanchal Dixit. The unit boasts a state-of-the-art Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), a top-tier Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), and nearly all pediatric subspecialties available in one location. It also features a modern cath lab with comprehensive facilities for post-treatment care. Support for Families Dr. Gauranga Majumdar, Head of the Department, emphasizes that families often feel overwhelmed when their child is diagnosed with a heart condition, previously having to travel to distant cities like Delhi or Mumbai. Now, such critical treatment is available in Uttar Pradesh at Medanta Super Specialty Hospital. The goal is to quickly diagnose and treat heart conditions in children, preventing them from becoming severe. To ease the financial burden on families, Medanta Lucknow is collaborating with various NGOs to offer support for surgeries. Additionally, many families are receiving aid from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, which sometimes covers the entire cost of treatment. Around 80% of children benefit from some form of financial assistance. This initiative is expected to provide significant relief and bring hope to many families.