A team of doctors at Noida (India) gave a new lease of life to a three-year-old Pakistani child who was suffering from a rare heart disease called Uhl's anomaly that is found in one among 200,000 children.

According to a health news channel, Mohammad Bilal's muscles of the right chamber of his heart were weak and enlarged, which increased pressure on his heart's left chamber.

“As a result, the child's heart was not functioning properly and the pumped blood was unable to reach his lungs that posed a high risk to his life, doctors said in statement on Friday.

Bilal was treated with the Fontan procedure and right ventricle exclusion from circulation method, a critical surgical procedure that took about five hours.

“Under this procedure, the entire blue blood of the child's body was pumped directly into his lungs through a tube and the right chamber of the heart is removed,” doctors said.

“Due to prolonged illness, the child had become very weak, hence, he was kept on ventilator for four days post-surgery. Along with this, he was given medicines so that his body gains immunity and does not develop any infections,” they added.

Bilal was also given a high calorie, high protein and vitamin diet through a feeding tube to ensure speedy recovery. He was discharged last week, the doctor said.

Ailing Pakistanis frequently to travel to India on medical visas to seek treatment for complicated health problems.

Indian hospitals like the Apollo in Delhi have previously reported receiving around 500 patients from Pakistan every month. Many of the unwell needed a liver transplant, which costs between Rs2-3 million. Pakistani patients also fly to the southern Indian city of Chennai, which is considered the centre for any heart-related treatment.

Opinion

Editorial

Unsustainable growth
Updated 23 Jun, 2026

Unsustainable growth

CLICHÉS are an essential part of political rhetoric. But when repeated often, they lose their impact. So when...
Banned speeches
23 Jun, 2026

Banned speeches

NATIONAL Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on Sunday formally lifted long-standing restrictions on the airing of ...
New GB government
23 Jun, 2026

New GB government

WITH the newly elected lawmakers of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly taking oath on Monday, the PPP looks set to head...
A costly cut
Updated 22 Jun, 2026

A costly cut

Climate risks are increasing and public investment should reflect that reality.
Guarded access
22 Jun, 2026

Guarded access

ONE of the government’s ‘novel’ proposals to snag tax evaders has collided with some harsh realities. On...
Lyari’s passion
22 Jun, 2026

Lyari’s passion

THE love for football in Lyari knows no bounds. The World Cup might be underway thousands of miles away in North...