PESHAWAR: A medical team of a UK-based charity organisation performed 55 non-invasive and open cardiac surgeries on poor children at the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) here free of charge on Friday and Saturday.

This was the team’s second visit to the hospital during the last nine months under the Little Hearts Mission project of London’s charity Muntada Aid, which ensured the free treatment of children. The patients were discharged just a day after treatment, without complications reported.

The 18-member medical team included two paediatric cardiac surgeons and as many cardiologists, and the support of ICU nurses, perfusionists, the anaesthesia team and technicians. They belonged to the UK and Turkiye. The doctors included Turkish cardiologist Prof Abdullah Erdem and cardiac surgeon Prof Vural Polat.

Dr Saadia Ilyas, head of the LRH’s Paediatric Cardiology Department, told Dawn that the team performed 55 surgical procedures, including eight open heart ones, during their two-day stay at the hospital.

“The surgeries included 44 Cath procedures, including ASD, VSD, and PDA device closures. The treatment costs for those who weren’t covered by the health insurance programme Sehat Card Plus were paid by the visiting team,” she said.

The patients aged less than 15 years.

According to Dr Saadia, the team also performed six complex and expensive procedures like coarctation stenting and three pulmonary valve implantations for the first time at the hospital. Only six such procedures, each costing Rs5.5 million, were earlier reported in the country.

She said the team intended to visit the LRH next year as well.

“The doctors have expressed a desire to collaborate with our department to ensure state-of-the-art paediatric procedures,” she said.

The department’s head said the patients were selected from the out-patient department and also included around 15 Afghans.

She said the foreign team also held a workshop and shared their experiences and information with local medics, nurses and technicians, especially about the latest advancements and techniques in the field of paediatric cardiology.

Dr Saadia said that the visitors also brought in specialised equipment that wasn’t available at the hospital.

She said the LRH paediatric cardiology ward, set up in 2015, had 32 beds and two high dependency units, with one dedicated to post-procedure patients.

“We have also established the first-ever dedicated play area in our department. The unit has three qualified paediatric cardiologists and medical officers. We plan to expand the services in view of the growing number of patients,” she said.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for LRH, Mohammad Asim, said that the team visited the hospital in July last year as well and performed 70 free non-invasive and open cardiac surgeries on poor children. That was their first visit to Pakistan, according to him.

“Now, we have developed a permanent collaboration with UK-based charity Muntada Aid for performing complex heart procedures. Patients were prepared for the surgeries beforehand,” he said.

He said the team was “very happy” with the way the hospital facilitated it and expressed the desire to revisit the country to perform more procedures.

When contacted, CEO of Muntada Aid Naif Sheikh said the charity was grateful to the hospital for its great support.

He said around 4,000 children with congenital heart diseases had been operated upon in 15 countries around the globe.

“It is our flagship pioneer programme under which we are trying our level best to assist children with heart defects with the help of the best doctors,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2026