15 November,2011 08:02 AM IST | | Priyanka Vora
Visitors, nurses, students, doctors and patients at the KEM hospital flocked to the CVTC building to enjoy the celebrations attended by the superstar
Ostensibly, it was an event put together for the children with hearing impairment, on the occasion of Children's Day. But with Salman Khan is in the house, sorry hospital, it would be asking too much of the hundreds of visitors, MBBS students, nurses, doctors and patients to stay out of the celebrations.
No kidding: Salman Khan graced the launch of a patient support group,
HEAR FOR ALL, created by the ENT department of the hospital.
Pics/ Swapnil Shinde
The excitement was palpable at the KEM hospital's Department of Cardio Vascular-Thorax Centre (CVTC), building -- which houses the wards, ICU and operation theatres for heart patients -- yesterday. Hospital security guards tried hard to manage the swelling crowds, reminding the hopeful star-gazers that the hospital was a silence zone.
The event was organised to launch a patient support group, Hear For All, by the hospital's Ear Nose throat (ENT) department. "The MBBS students, doctors and nurses are all very excited, and want to catch a glimpse of the actor. We can't even stop them, as they serve the hospital," said a guard, admitting that the security staff had not anticipated such overwhelming numbers to attend the event.
Star struck
Farida, mother of two-year-old Mohammad, who has a hole in his heart and is scheduled for a surgery -- was seen running at full speed, with her toddler in tow, so she could catch a fleeting glimpse of her favourite actor. "Salman bhai aye hai toh mujhe unko milna hai," (If he's here, I have to meet him) she said. Hospital staffers didn't wait to take off their gowns as they rushed to the third floor of the building, where the event was being held. The ICU is located on the same floor.
Dr Hetal Marfatia of the ENT department said, "On Children's Day we wanted to start this club, which will allow parents to share their experiences with other parents about the implant procedure and its effectiveness. In congenital hearing impairment, the child has very little hearing. We give these patients BAHA implants, which allows them to hear normally."
One in 6,000 kids suffer congenital ear deformities. The BAHA implants are expensive, ranging between Rs 1.60 lakh to Rs 2.30 lakh. At the very onset, 44 patients have enrolled to become a part of this club.
"It's a very special Children's Day for me, as I got to see Salman Khan," said Abhijeet Bagwe, a six-year-old who got a BAHA implant recently.
"Salman Khan has always funded treatment for handicapped children, and Himesh Reshammiya has also pledged support. Once these children overcome their handicaps, nothing can stop them from becoming achievers like these stars," added Marfatia.
Other hospitals also organised programmes for the children admitted in their wards. JJ hospital organised an orchestra for the 52 children admitted in the hospital's paediatric ward. Sion hospital authorities organised an open-bus ride for children with HIV.
