Kochi: A 15-day-old infant needing emergency heart surgery being shifted from Mangaluru to Thiruvananthapuram was admitted to Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in Kochi.
Though the plan was to take the infant to Sri Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology in the state capital, Health Minister K K Shailaja intervened after the trip became live news and arrangements were made to provide the treatment at Amrita Hospital. The ambulance had covered the 400-km distance from Mangaluru to Kochi in five-and-a-half hours (330 minutes).
The Minister said that each moment was critical for the infant and the journey up to Thiruvananthapuram would be too risky. “So I spoke to the baby’s parents and the authorities at Amrita Hospital and it was decided to admit the infant in the Kochi hospital,” she said.
It was ensured that the child would get the necessary treatment at Amrita Hospital. Moreover, the treatment will be provided free of cost under the ‘Hridyam’ initiative, Shailaja added.
The ambulance, with registration number KL-60-J-7739, is part of 'Ambulance Mission' launched by Kerala Child Protection team. It started its journey for Thiruvananthapuram from Mangaluru at 10:30am on Tuesday. The Child Protection Team had urged all those who are travelling by road to clear the way if they notice the ambulance.
Though the travel time by road along this route is over 15 hours, the ambulance intended to reach the state capital in 10-12 hours. The trip was scheduled during daytime to take the child to hospitals along the way in case of any emergency.
Members of Child Protection Team were stationed all along the route. The team also urged local people to provide all support to its members.
The infant belonged to Sania-Mithah couple of Kasaragod.
Life-saving missions such as this came to the limelight after the popular movie ‘Traffic’, which dealt with a similar theme.
