LAHORE, Nov 9: For the first time in Pakistan, a four-month-old child underwent an open heart surgery, according to an Ittefaq Hospital Trust press release issued on Wednesday.

Mustafa, son of Asadullah, was suffering from TGA (Transposition of Great Arteries). It is a congenital (by birth) heart defect where great arteries arise inappropriately from heart putting the child’s life at risk. The only cure is open heart surgery.

After seven hours of operation, the procedure (Senning’s procedure) completed successfully and the child was out of danger, the press release said.

Doctors at the hospital cardiac centre said the delay in operation could be fatal for the child.

The cost of operation is Rs250,000 only, which is far less than the cost in India or other foreign countries.

According to the hospital sources, Asadullah, the father of the child, a resident of Hyderabad, Sindh, was a poor person and could not afford the cost. He is very happy over the success of operation.

The newly established centre has state of art facilities for open heart surgeries.