Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) Director Rahul Devraj; Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery M. Amaresh Rao; grandson of the last Nizam of Hyderabad Nawab Mir Najaf Ali Khan, and Dr Ramana Dhannapuneni of Healing Little Hearts, along with his team at a press conference in Hyderabad on the free heart surgeries which were performed for children at the institute, on Saturday (September 12, 2026)
| Photo Credit: SIDDHANT THAKUR
c that can cost families anywhere between ₹5 lakh and ₹20 lakh each at private hospitals, were provided free of cost to children at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad. As part of its fifth paediatric cardiac surgery camp, NIMS performed 19 complex heart surgeries on a cashless basis on children aged between two months and 13 years. The week-long camp concluded on Saturday (September 12, 2026)
The surgeries were carried out by the NIMS Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery in collaboration with Healing Little Hearts, with a specialist team led by paediatric cardiac surgeon Ramana Dhanapuneni from the UK. The NIMS team was headed by M. Amaresh Rao, Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery.
From screening to surgery
The camp’s impact extended well beyond the 19 operations. Around 1,000 children were screened as part of the programme. Of these, few were found to require minimally invasive intervention rather than open-heart surgery. The surgical team, meanwhile, selected a mix of complex congenital heart cases for the camp, prioritising children who required specialised cardiac surgery. More than 100 children who require surgery are still waiting, with dates already allotted for their procedures, said Dr. Amaresh.
“Congenital heart disease is common and the cost of paediatric cardiac surgery in private hospitals can be prohibitive for many families, ranging from ₹5 lakh to ₹20 lakh. Hope for the poor is public sector hospitals like NIMS,” said Dr. Ramana.
80 surgeries through five camps
The latest camp is the fifth such programme conducted through the collaboration between Dr. Dhanapuneni’s team and NIMS. The partnership began in 2023, when two camps were conducted. One camp was held in 2024 and another in 2025.
NIMS Director Rahul Devraj said the five camps had resulted in about 80 surgeries so far. “NIMS would like Dr. Ramana and his team to visit twice a year, assuring continued institutional support to the visiting specialists and the cardiac department,” he said.
Around 7,000 children in Telangana with critical congenital heart diseases
Dr. Amaresh said there are around 7,000 children in Telangana with critical congenital heart diseases, while NIMS currently performs around 400 paediatric cardiac surgeries annually. The department needs to reach 1,000 surgeries a year, he said.
ECMO support under Aarogyasri
Another significant development pertaining to the camp was the availability of ECMO services at NIMS under the Aarogyasri scheme for the first time. “No patient needed it during this camp,” Dr. Amaresh clarified. However, he said the significance was that ECMO would now be available to eligible patients free of cost for as long as it is medically required, subject to the scheme’s provisions.
Published – September 12, 2026 03:06 pm IST
