In January 2008, Three Rivers Kids Foundation organized a free cardiac clinic held in Guyana. The clinic was conducted by Dr. Viresh Mahajan and Dr. Anil Bhan, both from Delhi, India. The cardiac clinic was performed free of charge. Two days were designated for the screening of children, and two days were for adults.

The CIOG has been very instrumental in organizing this clinic by meeting with representatives from the Ministry of Health in Guyana and with the Georgetown Public Hospital. For this we are very greatful to the CIOG.

After the conclusion of the cardiac clinic, the selection was made for the next group of children to be treated in India. The goal of this clinic was to prioritize the seriousness of childrens’ medical conditions. By having a pediatric cardiologist performing the screening, we were able determine which children need immediate treatment and which children could wait until a later time.

Jeanette Singh had been adamant about this screening process, as in the past the diagnosis made in India is often very different the diagnosis made in Guyana. This screening clinic prevents these issues and facilitates the selection of children to recieve immediate treatment. Dr. Mahajan and Dr. Bahn also took a tour of the heart institute at the Georgetown Public Hospital with the intention of performing cardiac surgery if it was feasible to do so. These surgeries were all done free of charge, as Dr. Mahajan and Dr. Bahn donated their time. This free screening clinic also gave us the opportunity to assess the progress of all the children that Three Rivers Kids Foundation has taken to India for treatment in the past.