One in every 100 children is born with a heart defect. In India, more than one lakh children are born with congenital defects every year. It remains commonest cause of death in first year of life, says Dr Pankaj Mankad, Senior Paediatric Cardiac Surgeon from Edinburgh, Scotland, who was in the city today.

While addressing the mediapersons, Dr Mankad, who will operate 12 children with heart disease at Grecian Hospital, Mohali said, "In 99 pc of cases there is no cause known for this condition. While many children exhibit signs and symptoms of heart trouble right after the time of birth, others take couple of years to be detected as what we call "heart patients"."

Dr Mankad, who will visit India once after every two months, said,"I am ready to perform free-of-cost heart surgeries on children in any hospital of India if hospital authorities approach me. There is dire need of charitable work in India."

Dr Shivpreet Singh Samra, Managing Director, Grecian Hospital, Mohali, claimed, "Grecian Hospital is the only hospital beyond Delhi, capable of successfully conducting the child heart surgeries. Dr Pankaj Mankad is a senior heart surgeon who has been working in UK since 1983. He has been consultant at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary since 1990 and specializes in operating on complex heart diseases of children. He shall be operating at Grecian Hospital, Mohali every two months. He will be here till July 10, 2009 and shall return in September."

Although a lot of facilities exist for heart surgery in adults, there is no dedicated facility for children's hearts in North India, said Dr Samra.

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