The Hindu : National : Kalam meets Tanzanian children

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 16, 2005

National

National

Kalam meets Tanzanian children

Staff Reporter

FROM THE HEART: On his 74th birthday on Saturday, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam withTanzanian children and their guardians at the Raj Bhavan guesthouse in Hyderabad. — PHOTO: MOHAMMED YOUSUF

HYDERABAD: After initiating the process of transforming their lives, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, in a touching gesture on his birthday, briefly met Tanzanian children, who were in the city to undergo surgeries to correct congenital heart defects (CHDs).

At the instance of Mr. Kalam, Air India and CARE Hospital here teamed up to help the Tanzanian children. While the airline provided free passage, the hospital offered its medical expertise to treat children with CHDs from poor, rural families.

While 13 persons up to the age of 22 underwent surgeries in the first batch, another five will be operated upon in the coming days.

Mr. Kalam, who turned 74 on Saturday, saw the children before receiving Governor Sushil Kumar Shinde, Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu, who greeted him with bouquets at the Raj Bhavan.

As soon as he entered the room in the Raj Bhavan guesthouse where the seven Tanzanians were seated, the President put his hand affectionately on the head of each child and presented each a box of gift-wrapped toffees brought from Delhi.

After posing for photos with the children, he turned to CARE Hospital chairman B. Soma Raju and Air India CMD V. Thulasidas and said, "Beautiful job, God bless you."

22-year-old Obeiro Wilson Ddune and 12-year-old Sivema Kojigo were operated upon while the rest, including 4-year-old Dotto Nicholaus, are undergoing pre-operative procedures. A paediatrician from Tanzania, Helga Naburi, and others, who accompanied the children were introduced to the President by Dr. Soma Raju. CARE's chief cardio-thoracic surgeon, Gopichand Mannam, explained the type of surgery that was performed on Wilson.

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