SRINAGAR 30 May : The Directorate of Health Services (DHS) Kashmir has directed all Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) across the Kashmir division to conduct a special survey and awareness campaign to identify children suffering from, or suspected to have, congenital heart diseases (CHD) under the “Gift of Life–India” project.
According to an official communication issued by the Deputy Director (Schemes), DHS Kashmir, the exercise will be carried out at village and block levels through Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) teams, ASHA workers and other field health functionaries. The initiative aims to identify children requiring specialised cardiac care and facilitate their inclusion in an upcoming paediatric heart surgery camp.
The directive follows a request from Rotary Club Rajouri, which is organising a paediatric heart surgery camp under the “Gift of Life–India” project at Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu on June 13, 2026. Prior to this, preliminary screening of children from Kashmir is scheduled to be held at Children’s Hospital Bemina, Srinagar, on June 4, 2026.
Officials have been instructed to prepare and submit detailed line lists of eligible patients, including medical histories, echocardiography reports and contact details, within the stipulated timeframe.
The camp is intended to provide screening, evaluation and, where required, free or subsidised heart surgeries for children diagnosed with congenital heart diseases. Selected patients may also be referred for treatment at Amrita Hospital, Kochi, under the humanitarian initiative.
DHS Kashmir has described the matter as urgent and urged district health authorities to ensure wide outreach and publicity so that deserving children, particularly from economically weaker and remote areas, can benefit from the programme.
