Guwahati: The Heart Valve Foundation of India (HVFI) on Saturday announced a grant of Rs 50 lakh to provide advanced cardiac treatment free of cost to eligible patients from Assam referred by the state government at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute in New Delhi.
The announcement was made at a press conference in Guwahati, where the foundation and Fortis Escorts Heart Institute also unveiled a series of initiatives aimed at strengthening cardiac care infrastructure and specialist medical training in Assam.
Under the programme, eligible patients referred by the Assam government will receive advanced cardiac treatment at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, Okhla, free of cost through the grant.
The foundation also announced that financially constrained patients from Assam requiring complex cardiac procedures at the institute would be offered treatment at rates applicable under the Assam government, subject to clinical assessment.
As part of the initiative, specialists from Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, including Ashok Seth, Aparna Jaswal and Ritwick Raj Bhuyan, will conduct training sessions for doctors and medical students at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) to strengthen local expertise in cardiac care.
The programme also included Involve – A Unique Interactive Knowledge Exchange Forum, which brought together doctors from Fortis Escorts Heart Institute and Assam to discuss contemporary heart failure management, recent advances in cardiology and the treatment of complex cardiac cases.
Assam Health Minister Ashok Singhal attended the evening programme and participated in the inaugural session.
Speaking at the event, Singhal said the initiative complemented the state’s efforts to strengthen cardiac care by combining financial support for patients with capacity-building programmes for doctors.
Ashok Seth, Managing Trustee of the Heart Valve Foundation of India and Chairman of Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, said the initiative aimed to reduce financial barriers for patients requiring advanced cardiac treatment while providing access to specialised medical care.
Ritwick Raj Bhuyan, Director, Cardio Thoracic Vascular Surgery at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, said the collaboration would improve access to advanced surgical interventions while strengthening clinical coordination between specialists in New Delhi and Assam.
Aparna Jaswal, Director, Cardiology, said the initiative would also focus on improving early diagnosis, timely referrals and knowledge-sharing with doctors and medical students in Assam.
Vikram Aggarwal, Vice President and Head of Strategic Business Unit at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, said the collaboration was intended to improve access to advanced tertiary cardiac care for patients from the Northeast.