Saving hearts the world over from here

CHENNAI: Saving a heart is an everyday affair at Frontier Lifeline Hospital. Now, after joining hands with the World Heart Foundation, a global non-profit organisation, they will be expanding their sphere of influence over a larger area. Identified as a key medical partner by the WHF, Dr K M Cherian’s hospital is the first institution to become a key partner and ink an MoU with the global network headquartered in New York.“For over a decade we’ve seen one type of mail come in most often – typically a plea for help from a mother in Africa, whose son has a congenital heart defect with no one experienced enough to do the surgery,” says Dr Thomas Pezzella, president WHF. “One in a million is lucky enough to either be flown to the USA or have some surgeon on a visit near them. With partnerships such as these, patients can get high quality care in all Asian countries, especially here in Chennai.”As a beginning, Frontier Lifeline’s staff will coach teams of willing surgeons from countries like Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Papua New Guinea and Tanzania, and train them in complex cardio-thoracic surgery. “This will help to upgrade the surgical level in the host country, start a cardiac surgery practice or revive a dead one,” he says. Similar institutions will be identified in other countries to build a network of cardiac surgeons across the world.The doctors from Frontier Lifeline will also journey to host countries to conduct surgery and impart education in cardio-care, says Dr Sanjay Cherian, VP of the hospital. “Most importantly, all the data will be recorded and available for relevant country specific research,” he adds. This will give people updated data on the cardiac status, even in countries that are still labelled ‘emerging economies’.