- 85% of population in India (1.21 billion) cannot afford expensive cardiac surgery.
- CVD (Cardio Vascular Diseases) was the leading cause of death (2.03 million/1.2 billion, 36% of deaths in Tamil Nadu).
- Around 2,50,000 babies/year are born with heart diseases.
- Nearly one third to one half of these are critical, requiring surgery in the first year of life itself.
- With advances today, 75% of infants can survive and lead a normal life. 15% become near normal life. 10% have a longer life with better quality.
- Bread winners of families die suddenly leaving the entire family to fend for themselves.
- Young promising men and women die leaving their ageing parents helpless and hopeless.
- Target population for Hearts for Hearts (H4H) is the less affluent from infants to adults with serious cardiac disease.
- 312 surgeries have so far been performed in Public Health Centre (PHC), KJ Hospital Research Centre & Bharathiraja Speciality Hospital. Impact of surgery on the individual, family & society is being studied.