The normal minimum cost of a coronary bypass surgery works out to Rs 1 lakh making it almost out of reach for the poorer sections. The new offer by Mediciti Hospital would enable more people to undergo surgery without having the added burden and worry of raising funds. Mediciti is also offering a Rs 65,000 package for non-white ration cards, who unable to afford the surgery costs.

Mediciti is setting up a special cell to extend support for the needy patients. The cell would obtain funds from the Prime Minister's Relief Fund and the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. Assistance will be provided at all stages from preparing the application to coordinating with the fund representatives ensuring that the money comes through for the surgery.

According to Dr P S Reddy, secretary-general of SHARE, which runs Mediciti: "The scheme is in line with Mediciti's philosophy of humanitarian service. We hope that it would provide a major relief and benefit to the poorer sections of the society." In Andhra Pradesh alone, around 450 bypass surgeries are conducted every month.

SHARE is a service-oriented, non-profit organisation through which Mediciti offers high professional quality cardiac care at low cost. Ever since cardiac surgery was initiated in the private sector, Mediciti has been the first to take up the challenge and has successfully conducted over 5,000 surgeries.

Mediciti's cardio-thoracic surgery unit headed by Dr A G Gokhale and Dr C Sukesh Reddy, along with a team of four other cardiac surgeons and four anesthetists, have been successfully conducting all types of cardiac surgeries on par with international standards and the results have been comparable to the best anywhere in the world.