'Born in one country, given life in another'
By Sidrah Roghay
Karachi
Dr Sanjay Bose sits at a clinic at the Tabba hospital and examines patients, mostly children who come in with various heart ailments. He puts a stethoscope on their chest, hears their heartbeat, goes through medical reports and asks them, "Do you have a passport?
Will you come to India for your surgery?"
Most are taken by surprise. They smile shyly and look up to their parents for an answer. The Aman ki Asha and Rotary Club have a vision to send 200 patients to India this year for free-of-cost heart-related surgeries.
India is believed to be ahead of Pakistan when it comes to heart surgeries for children. "We do not have many Pakistani cardiologists who can perform surgeries on children, which is much more complicated than performing it on adults," explains Fahad Anwer Chishti, Public Relations Officer (PRO) at the Tabba Heart Institute.
Dr Bose is a leading cardiologist in India, and has been running a hospital in a small city in West Bengal. "Pakistan has several congenital heart diseases because of cousin marriages," he says.
He explains that a parent should become alert if a playful child is not able to run around like a normal kid. "Then there are cases of blue babies. These children are born with a tinge of blue because the heart cannot separate the good and bad blood."
He appreciates the Aman ki Asha initiative because "it brings forward a positive message, and perceptions change when the message reaches home"."We share common problems and the region should get together to solve these issues," he maintains.
Director Rotary International India Shekhar Mehta is part of the team here from India. "Before partition at least we knew each other. The present generation does not. We need to have people-to-people contact to undermine this perceived animosity."
He shares an example: "One of the patients who got his surgery done in India told me, 'I was born in one country, but given life in another'."
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Karachi
Dr Sanjay Bose sits at a clinic at the Tabba hospital and examines patients, mostly children who come in with various heart ailments. He puts a stethoscope on their chest, hears their heartbeat, goes through medical reports and asks them, "Do you have a passport?
Will you come to India for your surgery?"
Most are taken by surprise. They smile shyly and look up to their parents for an answer. The Aman ki Asha and Rotary Club have a vision to send 200 patients to India this year for free-of-cost heart-related surgeries.
India is believed to be ahead of Pakistan when it comes to heart surgeries for children. "We do not have many Pakistani cardiologists who can perform surgeries on children, which is much more complicated than performing it on adults," explains Fahad Anwer Chishti, Public Relations Officer (PRO) at the Tabba Heart Institute.
Dr Bose is a leading cardiologist in India, and has been running a hospital in a small city in West Bengal. "Pakistan has several congenital heart diseases because of cousin marriages," he says.
He explains that a parent should become alert if a playful child is not able to run around like a normal kid. "Then there are cases of blue babies. These children are born with a tinge of blue because the heart cannot separate the good and bad blood."
He appreciates the Aman ki Asha initiative because "it brings forward a positive message, and perceptions change when the message reaches home"."We share common problems and the region should get together to solve these issues," he maintains.
Director Rotary International India Shekhar Mehta is part of the team here from India. "Before partition at least we knew each other. The present generation does not. We need to have people-to-people contact to undermine this perceived animosity."
He shares an example: "One of the patients who got his surgery done in India told me, 'I was born in one country, but given life in another'."
Saturday, March 17, 2012
A teenager's voice for peace
A 15-year old supporter of
Aman ki Asha shares a blog post from the heart
"This directly comes from the core of my heart" writes Alisha Abdullah, about her .....more
A 15-year old supporter of Aman ki Asha shares a blog post from the heart
"This directly comes from the core of my heart" writes Alisha Abdullah, about her .....more
Aman ki Asha BOOKSHELF
Published by Bhartiya Jnanpith, 2012
Foreward by Sourav Ganguly, former captain Indian cricket team
( .....more
Yeh Jo Hai Pakistan
By Shivendra Kumar SinghPublished by Bhartiya Jnanpith, 2012
Foreward by Sourav Ganguly, former captain Indian cricket team
( .....more
My second home
Nostalgia after a trip to New Delhi
By Sarah Adil
"It does not matter if we lose, but it matters if they win," is a popular phrase often heard during cricke .....more
Nostalgia after a trip to New DelhiBy Sarah Adil
"It does not matter if we lose, but it matters if they win," is a popular phrase often heard during cricke .....more
Yash Chopra had a soft corner for Pakistan: Pak director
IANS
Saying she had a "long love history with Mumbai", visiting Pakistani director Iram Parveen Bilal says late Bollywood veteran Yash Chopra, who had a "soft corn .....more
IANSSaying she had a "long love history with Mumbai", visiting Pakistani director Iram Parveen Bilal says late Bollywood veteran Yash Chopra, who had a "soft corn .....more
Techie returns a free man 8 years after drifting into Pakistan
Yudhvir Rana & Bella Jaisinghani, TNN
MUMBAI: Vile Parle resident Hansaben Parmar's agonizingly long wait for her son finally ended on Thursday. Eight year .....more
Yudhvir Rana & Bella Jaisinghani, TNNMUMBAI: Vile Parle resident Hansaben Parmar's agonizingly long wait for her son finally ended on Thursday. Eight year .....more
Briefs
Indian and Pakistani fans mourn the passing away of legendary film director, screenwriter and film producer Yash Chopra, 80, who .....more
R.I.P. Yash Chopra
Indian and Pakistani fans mourn the passing away of legendary film director, screenwriter and film producer Yash Chopra, 80, who .....more
Page 22 of 174
Special Editions
more editions
The News on Sunday Special Report: India Pakistan prisoners
We probably didn't need to do this Special Report. Newspaper stories don't matter when it comes to Indians in Pakistani jails and vice versa. In fact, 'vice versa' sums it up. We do to them what they do to us.
Except when the two countries decide to begin talking, yet again! This time a little before the foreign secretary level talks, some Pakistani prisoners were released by India (and vice versa must have happened) and some more were release....read more
Blog
more
For the past 2 years the Jang Group and Geo have been working on a project of great national interest; one that we hope will help usher in an era of peace and prosperity in the country and indeed, in the region. And one that hopefully all Pakistanis can be proud of.
The Jang Group has entered into an agreement with the Times of India Group, the largest media group of India, to campaign for peace betw
Global Media
Comments