Punjab: An adorable little girl named Sara Sethi used to get fever quite often. The parents of the six-year-old girl from Nakodar were worried as her fever kept fluctuating between 100-102 degrees Fahrenheit for more than a month. Parents Sonu Sethi and Savita recall how they visited several clinics in Nakodar and even Jalandhar in search of a doctor who could diagnose the problem. “Around nine months ago, we went to Dr Anshuman Verma, a paediatrician. He conducted several tests on our daughter. After conducting an echocardiography, it was found that she had a hole in her heart,” the parents said. Sara studies in Class 1 in a private school in Nakodar. Sharing details of the case, Dr Verma said, “When the parents brought Sara to me, she was feeling very weak due to persistent fever. During the check-up, I heard a murmur in her heart and suspected it was due to a hole in the heart. During the echo test, it turned out to be a case of infective endocarditis. There was a bacterial vegetation on the walls of her heart. Since it was a life-threatening problem, Sara needed immediate treatment.”
“Sara remained a fighter throughout her treatment. Thankfully, I did not see her getting irritable even once. But a situation came when the family had to spend at least Rs 3 lakh on her treatment with a specialist pediatric cardiologist. My first concern was to find the best and affordable treatment for the patient,” the doctor said. Dr Verma proved to be a good person for Sara and used his contacts in Delhi to find a way for affordable treatment. Dr Verma said, “I contacted my friend Dr Adi Arya, who is a pediatric cardiologist. He suggested taking the patient to Sri Sathya Sai Sanjivani Hospital in Palwal, which treats cardiac problems in children. The hospital does not have a billing counter. Patients do not have to spend any amount and the entire treatment is free. Sara’s parents went to the Palwal hospital, but unfortunately the waiting time was very long. It was not possible for us to wait for a long time to get Sara’s surgery done.” The doctor then asked Sara’s family to contact an NGO called Genesis, which is working in the area to help patients facing financial constraints. “The efforts were successful and the patient was operated upon at Fortis Hospital in Shalimar Bagh. The bacterial colony in her heart was removed. The surgery went well and the patient recovered completely soon,” Dr Verma said. He said Sara’s parents had to spend around Rs 20,000-30,000 as the surgery was done at concessional rates. Thanking Dr Verma wholeheartedly for saving their daughter’s life, Sara’s parents said, “If it were not for his diagnosis and guidance, we would have been ruined.” Dr Verma said he only tried to show the parents the right direction. “They made their efforts and God blessed the little girl. Now, whenever she comes to my hospital for her regular check-up, she is playful and cheerful. It gives me immense satisfaction to see her healthy and fit,” he said.
