Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI), a leading National non-profit organization committed to making India a healthier and disease free nation, announced its new initiative the Sameer Malik Heart Care Foundation Fund on the occasion of World Heart Day. A project by the Heart Care Foundation of India, the basic ideology behind the fund is to ensure no person dies of a heart disease just because they cannot afford treatment.

Any person irrespective of their gender, religion or age can apply for the benefits of the fund by calling on its helpline number +919958771177.

Supporting the cause renowned motivational speaker and Internationally acclaimed author Dr Deepak Chopra, vice president of the Indian Medical Association and president of the Heart Care Foundation of India Dr K K Aggarwal, chairman of Medanta – Medicity – Dr Naresh Trehan and chairman National Heart Institute Dr OP Yadava discussed the increasing incidence of heart disease in the country.

Research indicates that over 24 lakh people in India die due to heart disease every year and over 1.2 lakh children are born with a congenital heart disease. In Mumbai alone, 10% - 14% people above the age of 30 years suffer from heart disease. Several of the heart conditions are curable and death is preventable; however, not everyone can afford the treatment and hospital costs. The Sameer Malik Heart Care Foundation Fund is an attempt to bridge this disparity and provide individuals the ability to live a healthy- and disease-free life.

Speaking about the reversal of heart disease Dr Deepak Chopra, the New Age Motivational Guru and Internationally Acclaimed Author said, “Heart disease is becoming a global problem and its implications in a country like India where majority of the people cannot afford treatment, is huge. While preventive healthcare and what we call globally the concept of the reversal of disease is essential, often people become victims of the disease for no fault of theirs. I am extremely happy to learn about Heart Care Foundation of India’s new initiative the Sameer Malik Heart Care Foundation Fund and truly believe that it will come as a ray of hope to a large section of Indians suffering from heart disease”.

Adding to this, Dr KK Aggarwal, Padma Shri, National Science and Communication and Dr BC Roy awardee and president of the Heart Care Foundation of India said, “We at Heart Care Foundation of India are committed to raising awareness and providing effective solutions to the growing medical problems in the country through three of our projects, the Perfect Health Mela, CPR 10 campaign and the Sameer Malik Heart Care Foundation Fund. A crucial life-saving technique, which the public needs to be educated on, is Hands Only CPR for revival after sudden cardiac arrest.  Over 50 per cent of the patients suffering from a heart attack die just because they are unable to reach the hospital in time. What people are not aware of is that it takes only 5 minutes to learn the technique of Hands Only CPR 10, it can be by anyone and that through this method, a person can be revived till after 10 minutes of their death”.

An expert committee assesses all applications received by the Sameer Malik Heart Care Foundation Fund. Once sanctioned, the funds are directly deposited in the bank account of the medical establishments treating the patient. Heart Care Foundation of India provides surgery in association with leading hospitals in the capital city such as Medanta and National Heart Institute for surgical treatments and also provides lodging facilities at concessional rates for outstation patients. In order to reach more patients, a mass patient screening drive will be conducted at the 21st MTNL Perfect Health Mela, another project by the NGO.

Commenting on its partnership with the project for the treatment of patients with congenital heart diseases, Dr. Naresh Trehan, Chairman of Medanta- Medicity said, “In India itself 1.3 lakh children are born with congenital heart disease every year and can live a healthy life with timely surgery. Understanding the plight of the large number of people who don’t have the means to opt for this surgery, we are supporting the Sameer Malik Heart Care Foundation Fund in its effort to ensure that no person dies of heart disease just because they cannot afford treatment.”

Speaking about the management of Heart Disease, Raghuvinder Kataria the chief patron of Heart Care Foundation of India, “Indians run five times the risk of developing some form of heart disease than our western counterpart more because of lifestyle choices than genes. It is extremely important to eat, sleep and exercise right to prevent such disease. I have no doubt that the Sameer Malik Heart Care Foundation Fund will come as a ray of hope for the innumerable patients suffering from heart conditions who have no means to fund treatment.”