News Release

Indeed, the world is a smaller place when we reach out to care. Proving that the effort to save lives knows no boundaries, Dr. Moopen’s Foundation (DM Foundation), the organization set up by Aster DM Healthcare chairman Dr. Azad Moopen, successfully performed a rare cardiac corrective surgery on five-year-old Joneil Dasain. A team of Indian specialists led by Dr. Sajan Koshy, senior consultant at the Paediatric Cardiac Surgery, Center of Excellence in Cardiac Sciences, carried out the unique multi-country charity initiative at the world-class Aster Medcity, Kochi, India, under the aegis of DM Foundation’s “Save the Little Hearts” initiative.

The initiative has been helping indigent Filipino children with congenital heart disease by providing free surgical treatment within the Aster DM Healthcare network. But it was the first time a child coming from the Philippines was flown to India for a much-needed heart surgery at Aster Medcity.

“Joneil presented with bluish coloration of fingertips and lips and problems in breathing, all resulting from a congenital heart defect known as Tetralogy of Fallot. This should ideally have been corrected in the first year after birth. The procedure was not free from risk due to his age. But we decided to take up the challenge. The child was evaluated by our expert team of specialists and a five-hour long surgery was successfully undertaken,” commented Dr. Koshy.

In cases of Tetralogy of Fallot, abnormalities in the structure of the heart result in blood with insufficient oxygen circulating through the body, causing various symptoms like cyanosis (bluish discoloration) of nails, lips and skin, tiredness and breathlessness. If left untreated, the defect has a 50 per cent mortality rate in the first three years of life in addition to causing delay in growth and development.

Since the program was started, the DM Foundation has helped 26 Filipino children from disadvantaged families who cannot afford to have their children treated for congenital heart disease to undergo corrective cardiac surgery. In addition, about 750 children have benefited from the “Save the Little Hearts” program across various geographies. These children, primarily from India but also from Afghanistan and Africa, have received free or subsidized treatment from Aster DM Healthcare facilities channelized through the DM Foundation and its associates including MIMS Charitable Trust and other support associations.

Dr. Azad Moopen, founder chairman and managing director of Aster DM Healthcare and founder of DM Foundation, is a physician-turned-entrepreneur and philanthropist. In his early career, he had witnessed many families struggling to afford specialized treatment for many complex and critical health conditions. He founded the DM Foundation to help such patients and it is under this foundation that the not-for-profit initiatives of Aster DM Healthcare and Dr Azad Moopen’s family were carried out.

Commenting on the unique initiative, Dr. Moopen said, “There are many children who are not able to reach their full potential because of congenital heart disease. Coming from poor backgrounds, the parents also cannot afford to have their children treated. The philosophy of our foundation is to provide quality healthcare to the deserving and make a difference in their lives. We are happy that DM Foundation has enabled Joneil to get the treatment to put him back on the path to a bright future. We look forward to helping more such children in the future through our efforts.”

Aster DM Healthcare-Philippines country head Joyce Alumno emphasized, “Five children are diagnosed with CHD for every 1,000 live births. Reports show that every nine minutes, a child below 15 years old dies of heart disease. We are grateful that through the selfless heart of Dr. Moopen and the expertise of our doctors in India, children like Joneil are given a chance to enjoy a quality of life like any normal child.”

“We want to do more. In fact, we have a line of possible beneficiaries needing urgent attention. However, we are unable to do so because of the long queue in the hospitals. With the success of Joneil’s case, we can now say, we can make this happen,” Alumno added.

Lance Masters, a Rotarian from the Rotary Club of Manila, supported the DM Foundation and accompanied the patient and his mother to India. Documenting Jolien’s journey to health on his Facebook page, he said, “Jolien’s free cardiac surgery has been made possible thanks to a truly remarkable philanthropist, Dr Azad Moopen, who has designated 20 per cent of his wealth to his charitable foundation dedicated to assisting poor people with catastrophic medical issues. In the Philippines, Dr. Moopen has committed to help 50 indigent children with congenital heart defects. I am honored to work with the Foundation in this noble mission.”

Dr. Harish Pillai, cluster head for Kerala & CEO Aster Medcity, said: “The successful procedure is yet another testament of the exemplary skills of Aster Medcity’s talented team of doctors at our advanced world-class quaternary healthcare facility. We are happy that the child is now recovering well and can look forward to leading a normal life.”