AFIC performs life-saving surgery on minor siblings denied treatment in India

RAWALPINDI: In a groundbreaking move, two Pakistani youngsters who returned untreated from India have had successful operations at the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) in Rawalpindi.

Thanks to Field Marshal Asim Munir’s quick response, Abdullah, nine years old, and Minsa, seven years old, received intensive care and surgical treatment at AFIC.

Shahid Ahmed, the children’s father, thanked the army, stating that “Field Marshal Asim Munir noticed our case right away and took complete charge of the children’s surgeries.

Thanks be to Allah; my kids are now far improved. As a patient myself, I might not have been able to withstand the trauma. The doctors were quite dedicated; AFIC is honestly a great institution.

Major General (Retired) Dr. Commandant and Executive Director AFIC Naseer Ahmed Soomro lauded the medical team for their efforts, said that with God’s help, the whole treatment plan was well designed and finally successful.

Earlier, Federal Minister for Health, Syed Mustafa Kamal, noted the case of two Pakistani youngsters who were forced to return from India without receiving life-saving medical treatment.

After the Pahalgam attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), which killed 26 mostly tourists, tensions between Pakistan and India have grown. Following the event, India has canceled visas and instructed Pakistani nationals to exit the nation.

Among those impacted are congenital heart disease-afflicted 9-year-old Abdullah and 7-year-old Minsa, two younger siblings from Hyderabad, Sindh.

The youngsters were admitted to a hospital in New Delhi after traveling there with their father, Shahid Ali, for urgent heart operations.

But after their visas were revoked, they were refused treatment and sent out of the country.

Noticing the circumstances, Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal has directed the Health Director General to assist the family right away. The minister promised that the country, Pakistan, would help with the children’s treatment.

He noted that the kids might have surgery at the National Institute of Heart Diseases (AFIC-NIHD) in Rawalpindi or the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology.