Kochi: The 17-day-old infant brought to Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in Kochi from Mangaluru was subjected to a heart surgery. The procedure was successful and the baby will be shifted to the intensive care unit soon, said authorities.
The treatment is being carried out under the ‘Hridyam’ project of the Kerala Government. The infant was earlier shifted to Amrita hospital from Mangaluru in five-and-a-half hours by ambulance. Though the Child Protect team had planned to take the baby to Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology in Thiruvananthapuram, the ambulance was diverted to Amrita hospital in Kochi after the state government intervened. As the travel till Thiruvananthapuram can be 'too risky' the Kerala government decided to admit the infant in the Kochi hospital. The ambulance had covered the 400-km distance from Mangaluru to Kochi in five-and-a-half hours (330 minutes).
The government had announced that the entire treatment expenses will be borne by it. The surgery was carried out by a team led by the head of Paediatric Cardiology department at Amrita hospital Dr Krishnakumar.
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.
