THE STORY OF AMEER JAAN
Ameer Jaan, a 51-year-old man came to this hospital with a
complex heart ailment. He had a damaged aortic valve along
with blocked coronary arteries. He was successfully operated
and he went back happy and satisfied with the care given to
him by the medical team. The entire episode has its significance.
Ameer Jaan, a small electrical shop owner, is the only breadwinner
of a big family of five members. Struck by a complex heart
ailment, he was unable to work. The family faced a financial
crunch.
He initially went to a local doctor who kept
giving him medicines for his ailment, assuring him of a complete
cure. Each visit cost him a good sum of money. But, he didn't
get any relief. He was totally drained, financially and emotionally.
A ray of hope appeared in the form of a distant relative,
who told him about the free hospital run by Sri Sathya
Sai Baba. He was skeptical. He wondered how a hospital
could run without charging patients in these times. Is the
care provided up to the mark? Is there any hidden motive?
He decided to give it a try.
He said his first visit was memorable. His registration and
laboratory tests were totally hassle-free. He was taken care
with so much love and compassion that he
was amazed and he wondered if such care was given in any of
the elite hospitals of the city? Moreover, not a single penny
was asked from him. He was admitted in the hospital and thoroughly
investigated.
After a battery of tests by the cardiologists, he was diagnosed
as having calcific aortic stenosis with coronary Artery disease
- a malady, that had reduced the size of his aortic valve
and also blocked the major coronary arteries supplying blood
to the heart. Given his condition, surgery was the only answer.
The aortic valve needed to be replaced by a prosthetic valve
made out of metal, which is imported from the USA. He also
needed to undergo Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting [CABG] for
his blocked coronary vessels.
Ameer Jaan was successfully operated by a team of doctors
of the cardiac surgery department. The entire procedure was
performed after putting the patient on cardiopulmonary bypass
using the heart lung machine and after a cardioplegic arrest
of the heart. Apart from replacing his damaged aortic valve
with a prosthetic heart valve, three bypasses were constructed
on his heart. He was kept in the intensive care unit for 48
hours and transferred to a ward. He went home on the eighth
day fully satisfied and happy.
This operation would have cost him more than Rs 125,000 [2,700
US dollars] anywhere else. It would have been impossible for
a man like him to meet the cost. He would have had to sell
his shop or property. But then, what after that?
The small ray of hope that appeared for Ameer Jaan one day
has given him and his family a new lease on life. One among
the millions of human beings blessed by Baba.
Dr S P Manoj Kumar MS, Mch
Department of Cardio-thoracic Vascular Surgery.
Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Bangalore
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