Health Minister Enables Free Heart Surgery for 8-Year-Old Karnataka Girl

Quick Summary

• Health Minister C. Damodar Raja Narasimha facilitated a free life-saving heart surgery for an eight-year-old girl, Aishwarya, at Nizam’s Institute of medical Sciences (NIMS).
• Aishwarya was diagnosed with Atrial Septal Defect, a congenital heart condition. Her parents could not afford the ₹5 lakh surgery.
• The family did not possess essential identification or health scheme cards such as an arogyasri card or Aadhaar.
• after hearing their plight, the Minister directed officials to provide free surgery and medical care.
• on July 4, a team of doctors successfully performed the surgery; Aishwarya made a full recovery and has been discharged.
• The family later visited the Secretariat to personally thank the Minister.

Read More

Indian Opinion Analysis

This act of intervention by Health Minister C. Damodar Raja Narasimha highlights two critical aspects: compassion in governance and systemic issues within India’s health infrastructure.While this individual case had a positive outcome due to ministerial involvement, it underlines gaps in accessibility for vulnerable populations who lack essential documentation like Aadhaar or healthcare scheme cards (e.g., Arogyasri).

Such instances also emphasize the importance of improving awareness and streamlining eligibility for healthcare initiatives aimed at underserved communities. While direct interventions remain admirable on humanitarian grounds, long-term focus should aim at simplifying access so that timely medical help does not require exceptional measures.