The Hindu : New Delhi News : Inside Delhi

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Inside Delhi

Quality heart care, affordable cost

This is a new chapter in the growing list of patients flying in from all over the world to Delhi seeking world-class heart care facilities.

In yet another example of the Capital extending its medical services to patients from across the globe, the Escorts Heart Institution Research Centre (EHIRC) has successfully treated 54-year-old Richard Johnson from Toronto, Canada, who first suffered chest pain on January 1, 2005, while holidaying in Paris. Speaking about the patient, the executive director and chief cardiac surgeon of EHIRC, Dr. Naresh Trehan, notes: "India is now being recognised as a destination for high quality heart care at affordable cost. The clinical care of the patient is duly supplemented with a strong dose of Indian hospitality.''

The patient flew in to Delhi for treatment on April 6 after reading about the facilities in the Capital. Doctors at EHIRC immediately attended on him and performed an angiography. Richard was diagnosed with unstable angina and single vessel disease, which was implanted with a single stent. After recovery, he was discharged from the hospital on April 8.

Speaking about his stay and treatment offered in Delhi, Johnson says, "I am gratified for not only the immediate diagnosis and requisite treatment but also for the care and efficiency shown by doctors and the staff at Escorts Heart Institute. And at the end of it the low cost too came as a pleasant surprise.'' Johnson, meanwhile, continues to enjoy the hospitality of the hospital and after his final check-up will travel to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, before his return to Toronto on Wednesday.

Cricketing ties

He may have fought against the Pakistan Army with grit and determination but now hopes that the gentleman's game will play a big role in bridging differences between the two neighbours.

Former Central Reserve Police Force personnel, Bhawani Dutt, had thrown quite a few grenades at the Pakistani Army after it entered the Indian territory in the Rann of Kutch on April 9, 1965, but now feels that the ongoing Indo-Pak cricket series will do a world of good in ensuring peace and stability on the subcontinent.

All his hatred and revulsion for the neighbouring country seems to have died down as Mr. Dutt, who was in Delhi this past week to receive the Sangram Award at the Valour Day and Investiture Ceremony of CRPF, said: "Cricket is one sport that unites the people living on the either side of the border. The ongoing one-day cricket series will play an important role in strengthening ties between the two neighbours, especially when the two governments are actively engaged in establishing peace." Mr. Dutt disclosed that his all-time favourite cricketer is none other than the former captain of Pakistan, Imran Khan. "I admire the great Khan. He used to put his heart and soul into his cricket and his aggressive attitude on the field was worth watching. These days I enjoy watching the ongoing Indo-Pakistan cricket series. In my house at CRPF Headquarters in Madhya Pradesh I spend most of my time watching the two young teams battling out against each other on the field,'' added Mr. Dutt, hoping that in future all the wars would be fought on cricket fields rather than battlefields.

Crying for attention

Despite the tall claims of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) authorities, the grand old Connaught Place in the heart of the Capital is still crying for attention. Though civic officials say that they are awaiting completion of the Metro rail work before going in for a complete makeover of the area, the fact remains that even routine work is not been carried out while parks in the area have been converted into garbage dumps.

For instance, take the case of the park above the underground Palika Bazar, located just a few metres from the NDMC headquarters at Palika Kendra. The entire green area has been converted into a big waste dump where garbage as well as waste building material is being thrown. Piles of garbage and waste material are lying around and the NDMC staff has done little to spruce up the area. "Renovation of shops in the underground Palika Bazar is a routine affair and it is this waste material that is dumped in the park in connivance with the local NDMC staff who are to be equally blamed for this mess," said a Palika Bazar shopowner, adding that very conveniently the civic body authorities have adopted a laidback attitude towards this centrally located market and put all projects on the backburner.

By Bindu Shajan Perappadan, Madhur Tankha and Sandeep Joshi

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