MUZAFFARGARH: Another successful open heart surgery was conducted at the Recep Tayyip Erdogan-Indus Hospital, Muzaffargarh, free of cost.

A rickshaw driver, Mohammad Hanif (42), a resident of Dera Ghazi Khan, was advised open heart surgery a year ago by the doctors but was unable to afford the huge cost ofthe procedure.

Hanif visited various government and semigovernment welfare institutions but could not get help from anywhere.

He came to the Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital here last week and after check-up and necessary tests his open heart surgery was performed free of cost.

According to doctors, Hanif is speedily recovering and returning to normallife.

The rickshaw driver says he is the sole breadwinner of his family comprising his wife, six children and elderly parents.

He says as he could not afford the cost of the surgery, he got disappointed but thanks to the doctors at the hospital he got a new lease of life.

On the success of the surgery, the hospital head, Dr Irfan Javed, says the Punjab government`s financial supportis no less than a blessing for the people of south Punjab, who are being provided free treatment facilities in various departments of the hospital.He says cardiac services have also been launched recently at the hospital with the support of Punjab government, benefiting poor patients and sofarfour heart sur-geries have been performed here free of cost.

The Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital is run by the management of the Indus Hospital, Karachi.