Thank You India, says Pakistani couple after successful surgery of their toddler

noida

Updated: Jul 19, 2017 12:33 IST

Overwhelmed by the support extended by the Indian government and medical staff of a Noida-based hospital, Pakistani couple Kanwal Siddiq and Anam Siddiq bid a teary farewell to India after their four and a half months old son Rohaan recovered from a complex heart surgery.

The Lahore-based couple will take a flight back home on Tuesday evening after a month long stay in India, which was made possible after multiple interventions by the minister for external affairs Sushma Swaraj.

At a time when hostilities and skirmishes on the Line of Control (LoC) have strained bilateral ties between the nuclear neighbours, it has got increasingly difficult for residents to obtain visa to travel to each other’s countries.

“Thank You India. Thank you for everything. The past one month has been a spiritual and emotional journey for us. There was a time when we feared losing our son. I simply can’t express how happy I am to see him fully recovered and smiling,” a teary-eyed Kanwal said.

Kanwal thanked Swaraj for helping them secure medical visas. He had taken to micro-blogging site Twitter to express his angst over being denied permit to travel to India.

“Minister Swaraj made a personal intervention in our case and ensured that we receive our visa. I could even go as far as to say that it is the big heart of Sushma Swaraj that his pumping blood into Rohaan’s (his son) veins,” Kanwal said.

Pakistani couple Kanwal Siddiq and Anam with their son Rohaan. ( Virendra Singh Gosain/HT Photo )

A civil engineer by profession, Kanwal (32) arrived at Jaypee Hospital in Noida’s Sector 132 on June 12 after doctors in Pakistan told him that Rohaan has a hole in his heart.

“When doctors in Pakistan told me rare condition that Rohaan had been diagnosed with, I frantically started looking for medical help in UAE and other countries. But I’d heard a lot of good things about Indian doctors and thus, with the help of Indian diplomats, I secured visas to travel to the country,” Siddiq said.

“Rohaan had a hole in his heart and the Aorta and pulmonary arteries were not positioned as they are in a normal human body. Due to this condition, his heart was pumping blood sans oxygen and his body was turning blue. He was also suffering from continuous bouts of pneumonia,” Dr Rajesh Sharma, director, paediatric cardiac surgery department, Jaypee Hospital, said.

Doctors began an exhaustive 5-hour surgery on June 14 where his condition was treated with Arterial Switch with VSD closure.

“In this surgery, the AORTA and Pulmonary arteries were removed from their place and adjusted to their right place. Post-surgery, the baby was shifted to the ICU and was put on ventilator support. Now, he is fully recovered,” Sharma said.

Though the Siddiqs don’t have much hope of travelling to India again anytime soon owing to the prevailing climate of hostility between the neighbours, Kanwal said their month-long has given them spiritual strength.

“Now, I want to dedicate my life towards raising awareness for a healthy heart. I want to enlighten more and more people on the need to take care of one’s heart from an early age. I also wish to form an organisation in Lahore to take my cause forward,” Kanwal said.