TN CM's health insurance scheme gives new life to youth from Erode district

A 26-year-old man, whose heart was functioning just 15 per cent, got a new lease of life after a heart transplant at a city hospital under the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme. The man, the son of a poor farmer hailing from Nambiyur in Erode district, was admitted to Kovai Medical Centre and Hospital (KMCH) here a week ago After studying his health condition, cardiologists Prashant Vaijyanath and Sureshkumar decided that heart transplant would be the only permanent solution.

The surgery was performed with a heart donated from a brain dead person last week. The transplant was done completely free of cost with the aid of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme. The entire process – right from harvesting the heart from the brain dead person, transporting the organ safe and fast so as to reach the hospital and the transplant surgery – had to be completed within a short span of time, KMCH Chairman Nalla G Palanisamy said. "Time is critical and of paramount importance," he said and appreciated the entire team's performance. Heart transplant normally costs Rs 14 lakh and additional Rs 1-2 lakh for post-surgery medication, hospital sources said.

(With inputs from agencies.)