Assam University (AU) healthcare outreach saves life of 9-year-old girl in Cachar

A CORRESPONDENT

SILCHAR: Assam University (AU), through its Community Healthcare Outreach Programme, played a crucial role in saving the life of a nine-year-old girl from Rosekandi Tea Estate in Cachar, who was suffering from severe anaemia and a complex congenital heart disease. The child successfully underwent open-heart surgery at Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, on December 27.

Medical investigations revealed that the child had a major hole in her heart, medically known as Ostium Secundum Atrial Septal Defect (ASD). Due to acute financial constraints and lack of awareness, proper treatment had earlier seemed nearly impossible, forcing the child to discontinue regular schooling.

The condition came to light during a large-scale health screening conducted under a Deep Learning-based Anaemia Detection Project for Children, jointly undertaken by the Department of Statistics, Assam University, and ICMR-NIRDHDS, Delhi. As part of the project, health check-ups were carried out for over 1,000 children aged 5 to 14 years and 400 women in the Rosekandi and Irongmara areas, during which the girl's serious illness was detected.

Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Assam University promptly coordinated with the Joint Director of Health Services, Cachar, AIIMS New Delhi, and other medical experts. Through tele-consultation services and the Mata Pathology Lab supported by Assam University, contact was established with cardiologist Dr Punit Gupta of Safdarjung Hospital. Following online consultations and evaluations, the need for urgent open-heart surgery was confirmed.

Under the initiative of Vice-Chancellor Prof. Rajive Mohan Pant and the dedicated efforts of Dr Vivek Verma of the Department of Statistics, arrangements were made to take the child and her family to New Delhi. Support was also extended by I. B. Ubadia, Manager of Rosekandi Tea Estate. The surgery was successfully performed under the supervision of Dr Punit Gupta on December 27, and the child is now stable and recovering well.

Also Read: Assam: Tezpur University non-teaching staff stage sit-in protest