NIMS Hyderabad Performs 19 Free Paediatric Heart Surgeries at Fifth Cardiac Camp
NIMS Hyderabad conducted 19 complex paediatric heart surgeries free of cost at its fifth cardiac camp, screening around 1,000 children in collaboration with a UK-based specialist team.
The Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad has completed 19 complex paediatric heart surgeries free of cost during the fifth edition of its paediatric cardiac surgery camp, which concluded on Saturday. The children operated on were aged between two months and 13 years, and the procedures were performed on a cashless basis.
The surgeries were carried out by the NIMS Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery in collaboration with Healing Little Hearts, with a visiting specialist team led by paediatric cardiac surgeon Ramana Dhanapuneni from the United Kingdom. The NIMS team was headed by M. Amaresh Rao, Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery.
Screening and selection
The camp's reach extended beyond the operations themselves. Around 1,000 children were screened under the programme. A small number of them were found to need minimally invasive intervention rather than open-heart surgery. The surgical team selected a mix of complex congenital heart cases, prioritising children who required specialised cardiac surgery. More than 100 children who still need surgery are awaiting procedures, with dates already allotted, according to Dr. Amaresh.
Dr. Ramana noted that congenital heart disease is common and that the cost of paediatric cardiac surgery at private hospitals, ranging from ₹5 lakh to ₹20 lakh, can be prohibitive for many families. He said public sector hospitals such as NIMS offer hope to poorer patients.
Five camps, about 80 surgeries
The latest camp is the fifth conducted under the collaboration between Dr. Dhanapuneni's team and NIMS. The partnership began in 2023, when two camps were held, followed by one each in 2024 and 2025. NIMS Director Rahul Devraj said the five camps had resulted in about 80 surgeries so far. He added that NIMS would like Dr. Ramana and his team to visit twice a year, and assured continued institutional support to the visiting specialists and the cardiac department.
A wider caseload
Dr. Amaresh said there are around 7,000 children in Telangana with critical congenital heart diseases, while NIMS currently performs around 400 paediatric cardiac surgeries annually. The department needs to reach 1,000 surgeries a year, he said.
ECMO under Aarogyasri
A significant development linked to the camp was the availability of ECMO services at NIMS under the Aarogyasri scheme for the first time. Dr. Amaresh clarified that no patient needed ECMO during this camp, but said its importance lay in the fact that the service would now be available to eligible patients free of cost for as long as it is medically required, subject to the scheme's provisions.