Daliya's Story at AIMS Hospital

When Daliya was born, she didn't cry like other babies. The doctors recommended she get a physical exam at AIMS, a not-for-profit top hospital in Kerala, India, founded by Amma where the poor could have access to advanced medical care in an atmosphere of love and compassion. 

The doctors there found a serious problem with her heart, which required immediate surgery for her to survive. The normal cost of a procedure like that in India is Rs. 250,000, or 5,000 USD -- an amount far out the reach of Daliya's parents. AIMS Hospital didn't charge Daliya's parents anything for the procedure.

The surgery was successful, and kept Daliya alive, but her battle was far from over. She had a very complex diagnosis that could not be fixed in a single operation. She required many incremental procedures throughout the first ten years of her life, until she was finally ready to receive a pacemaker at the age of 10 years old.

Daliya's family was never asked to pay anything for her treatment. She has her whole life ahead of her now, and her parents have received something they never thought possible. In her father's own words, "We will always remember Amma with gratitude, as Amma saved our daughter."

In 2010 alone, AIMS Hospital performed 533 heart operations for children in poverty. None of the families were charged anything for the procedures.