11 to get free heart surgery in India

Eleven patients incapable of footing their medical bills for heart surgery will be treated and accommodated for free in India, thanks to sponsorship advanced by a group of Indian medical professionals who are all members of Rotary International.

Thursday, April 26, 2012
Prime Minister Habumuremyi (L) receives a gift from former head of Rotary International, Rajendra Saboo, after meeting yesterday. The New Times / John Mbanda.

Eleven patients incapable of footing their medical bills for heart surgery will be treated and accommodated for free in India, thanks to sponsorship advanced by a group of Indian medical professionals who are all members of Rotary International.The 28-man delegation comprising of heart surgeons, plastic surgeons, urologists and medical directors made the announcement yesterday during a visit to the Prime Minister’s Office."We are a part of one large family living on this planet earth. Reaching out to our brethren in Rwanda is a recognition of this reality of our existence and the accomplishment of service above self, which Rotary has imbedded in all of us,” Rajendra K. Saboo,  head of the delegation said."The group of eleven Rwandans with heart conditions will be well taken care of and supplied with everything they need. They do not have to worry about the cost of the heart surgery, which in India goes for about US$3,000 and over US$10,000 in the United States.”Rajendra also served as president of Rotary International in 1991.The Prime Minister Pierre Damien Habumuremyi commended the delegation for fostering a partnership with Rwanda and said he looked forward to more collaboration between the two countries’ health sectors. The group is currently offering free surgeries at the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK) for a period of twelve days.