Paediatric heart surgeries that can cost families anywhere between ₹5 lakh and ₹20 lakh each at private hospitals, were provided free of cost to children at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad. As part of its fifth paediatric cardiac surgery camp, NIMS performed 19 complex heart surgeries on a cashless basis on children aged between two months and 13 years. The week-long camp concluded on Saturday (September 12, 2026)
The surgeries were carried out by the NIMS Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery in collaboration with Healing Little Hearts, with a specialist team led by paediatric cardiac surgeon Ramana Dhanapuneni from the UK. The NIMS team was headed by M. Amaresh Rao, Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery. Of these, few were found to require minimally invasive intervention rather than open-heart surgery. The surgical team, meanwhile, selected a mix of complex congenital heart cases for the camp, prioritising children who required specialised cardiac surgery. Amaresh. Ramana. Another significant development pertaining to the camp was the availability of ECMO services at NIMS under the Aarogyasri scheme for the first time. Amaresh clarified.
The camp’s impact extended well beyond the 19 operations. Around 1,000 children were screened as part of the programme. More than 100 children who require surgery are still waiting, with dates already allotted for their procedures, said Dr. “Congenital heart disease is common and the cost of paediatric cardiac surgery in private hospitals can be prohibitive for many families, ranging from ₹5 lakh to ₹20 lakh.
Hope for the poor is public sector hospitals like NIMS,” said Dr. “No patient needed it during this camp,” Dr. However, he said the significance was that ECMO would now be available to eligible patients free of cost for as long as it is medically required, subject to the scheme’s provisions.
