Serving humankind is serving God. The reason why this cause is close to our hearts is because we believe in the fact that ‘children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future’. We can only hope for a bright future when we as a society and as a country work towards their betterment. One of the most satisfying things is being able to provide the Gift of Life by supporting an ailing child and saving her from a disease like CHD. The child whose life is saved today may grow up to be an asset to the country or simply be a responsible citizen who pays it forward by contributing to national welfare and serving others in need. An inclusive approach ensures last mile connect, which is possible when there is an equitable opportunity and access to all, whether in mutual funds, where we work towards financialisation or in the case of providing affordable and quality healthcare as is possible through associations with entities such as Sanjeevani hospitals.

The Sanjeevani Centre for Child Heart Care was established in 2012 in Naya Raipur, Chhattisgarh and now has new centres in Palwal, Haryana and Kharghar, Navi Mumbai. These are dedicated Paediatric Cardiac Hospitals with world-class operation theatres and Cath labs which have treated patients from 30 states in India and many developing countries in Asia and Africa. Sanjeevani has worked with dedication towards providing accessible healthcare to citizens. They provide services from diagnostics to open-heart surgery to post-operative care totally free of cost. Food, accommodation of patients and their attendants is also provided free of charge.

Sanjeevani has managed over 90,000 outpatients and performed over 9,600 open heart surgeries and Cath interventions in the past seven years. Over 90 per cent of the cases treated at Sanjeevani are families who could not have afforded this treatment. This specialised treatment not only gives a second life to the child but also enables her to lead a normal life. There are several success stories of these children at Sanjeevani who, post-treatment, have pursued their dreams and excelled. These children have fought a battle at a very young age and this makes them both resilient and strong-willed.

The selfless service rendered and the gift of life received from society inspires thousands of families to give back to society and nurture children to be ideal citizens which itself is an impact which cannot be measured. Many eminent personalities have come forward to help. Recently, cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar pledged to support the surgeries of 34 children with CHD to mark the 34 test centuries he has made. One hopes to see more people coming forward to champion this noble initiative.