Lifeline for patients with heart defects

The Star

23-05-2025

The Miracle Baby Programme (MBP) gives babies and young children with congenital heart diseases life-saving surgery at no cost.
Government surgeons and those from Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital in India, renowned in the field of congenital heart surgery, perform the surgeries on a pro bono basis.
Health Ministry bore the cost of in-patient admission and post-surgery care.
'The surgery lasts six to 10 hours, followed by intensive post-operative care for four to five days,' said Health Ministry chief of cardiothoracic surgical services Datuk Dr Basheer Ahamed Abdul Kareem.
'Most surgeries in the private sector can cost between RM75,000 and RM150,000.'
He added that it was to Penang Hospital's credit that the surgeons from India chose it to conduct MBP.
A smaller team from India will visit every six months from here on, and four Malaysian surgeons would go to India to train with them, said Dr Basheer.
One of the beneficiaries is four-year-old Noor Izz Medhina Muhamad Samsuri who went through the procedure.
Her mother, Noor Izzatie Mohamed Yusoff, said: 'I am grateful that she underwent surgery free of charge under MBP.'
Noor Izz's first procedure was in December 2022 when she was just a year old, followed by a second procedure last July.
Another patient in the MBP was Eisya Marzuki.
Siti Norazidah Mohd Hamzah said her daughter, who's now 19, underwent the surgery at 16.
She said that Eisya had symptoms like rapid breathing and shortness of breath, prior to the surgery.
'The opportunity to undergo the surgery was a blessing.
'Now, she is waiting to further her studies,' said Siti Norazidah.
Eleven-year-old Iris Sim had a congenital heart defect at birth and lived with it for nearly a decade before MBP gave her the chance to go for surgery.
Her mother May Yap, a water filter technician, could not hold back her tears when recounting how she learned about MBP from hospital staff.
She said the surgery was done at Penang Hospital a week or two after Iris was accepted into the programme.
Now, more children will benefit following the launch of MBP 2.0 by Raja Permaisuri of Perak Tuanku Zara Salim at Penang Hospital.
Also present were Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) Education Foundation board of trustees chairman Tan Sri Dr Sak Cheng Lum and UTAR chancellor Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik.
Lukanisman, in his speech, said MBP was founded by Dr Ling in collaboration with Penang Hospital and Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital.
'This extraordinary cross-border collaboration is a symbol of what can be achieved through compassion and excellence in healthcare,' he said.
The first edition of MBP in 2022 successfully treated 18 babies and children.
Under MBP 2.0, a total of 23 children underwent heart surgery.