Minister visits 10-yr-old heart transplant beneficiary

Stating that it is a proud moment for the government, the Health Minister and other officials lauded the efforts of the doctors who performed the transplant at the Government Omandurar Multi Super Speciality Hospital in the city.

A resident of Santhanapuram in Kancheepuram district, the child had been suffering with cough and breathing difficulty since he was seven and had undergone some treatment in private hospitals. 

However, his parents Munisamy and Jessi took him to the Institute of Child Health or Children’s Hospital, Egmore for further treatment.  On December 27, last year, he was registered for transplant and when a 25-year-old man was declared brain dead on May 24 this year, Praveen was given the heart. 

The transplant which came under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme, was done at the Omandurar Hospital by Cardio thoracic surgeon Dr Manoharan, who has performed six heart transplants prior to this. 

Earlier, responding to the allegations from Opposition that the Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu (TRANSTAN) was aiding the foreigners over the poor patients here waiting for organs, Vijaya Baskar asserted that the agency was functioning with utmost transparency and that he was saddened by the reports of malpractice in the agency.