The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Foundation soon for muscular dystrophy patients

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 28, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Foundation soon for muscular dystrophy patients

By Our Special Correspondent

RAJAHMUNDRY, JAN. 27. K.Sujatha, mother of Venkatesh, the muscular dystrophy patient who died at Hyderabad on December 17, is setting up a foundation to help mobilise relief for dystrophy victims.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, Ms.Sujatha said the Venkatesh Muscular Dystrophy Foundation would be launched in Hyderabad on February 17, initially with a medical camp and an awareness campaign for the benefit of parents of dystrophy patients in rural areas.

"The objective is to offer Rs.500 a month and a wheel chair to dystrophy patients in rural areas whose suffering is compounded by lack of proper medical attention," she said.

The foundation, she pointed out, would be fulfilling the wish of Venkatesh "who always had the desire to help handicapped persons."

Replying to a question, Ms. Sujatha said muscular dystrophy was a rare disease and that so far she obtained information on about 400 people suffering from it in various parts of the State.

The foundation, however, was essentially for the patients in rural areas, which lacked even basic medical facilities to diagnose this problem.

"The patients need round-the-clock care and one parent has to bestow complete attention on them," she said.

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