KARACHI, Dec 30: Writing to Dawn in response to the news story about Aleena, a three-year-old girl from Dera Ghazi Khan who has been born with an exposed heart (Dawn, page 5, Dec 30), the executive director of NICVD has offered to carry out the needed operation free of charge. The story was datelined Multan.

In his message, Dr Azhar Faruqui, Executive Director of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, said there was no need for the girl to go abroad and that her guardians, said to be poor, could bring the child to the NICVD for all investigations and the needed operation free of charge, including bed and board, and that any family members accompanying the child could also be put up free of charge at the NICVD Musafir Khana.