Doctors at Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research have saved a little girl's life with a rare surgery. They did the entire treatment, which would have cost lakhs, completely free of charge.
Doctors at the Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research have given a new lease on life to a little girl who was suffering from a congenital heart defect. They saved the three-year-old with a rare surgery, performing an operation worth lakhs of rupees for free and bringing a smile back to her face.
The girl, Shivangi Sharma from Chhattisgarh, had undergone heart surgery in 2025 at the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital. Everyone thought the heart problem was solved, but a new issue cropped up. She developed breathing trouble, which meant a breathing tube had to be fitted for a long time. This led to a severe condition called ‘Subglottic Stenosis’, where the windpipe narrows so much that it almost closes completely. Breathing became a huge struggle for the little girl.
With her condition getting worse, her family rushed her to several hospitals, including AIIMS Chhattisgarh. But doctors were hesitant to treat her because of how critical she was. Private hospitals told them the treatment would cost anywhere between 30 to 40 lakh rupees. The family, who are not well-off financially, had no idea what to do. As a final attempt, they brought the girl to the Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Muddenahalli, Karnataka.
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Here, a team of expert doctors led by Dr. Kul Bhushan Bali, the Head of the Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) department, accepted the challenge. They treated her in stages, using modern technology like laser, coblation, balloon dilation, and stenting to rebuild her airway. The stent was removed on May 11, and after more treatment, the tracheostomy tube was finally taken out completely on May 18. Now, the little girl can breathe and even talk naturally.
Speaking about the experience, the girl's father, Gaurav Sharma, said, “The Muddenahalli hospital is like a temple. They provide medical care and love that we couldn't find in other hospitals. We will be forever grateful to the doctors for giving my daughter a new life. This place is a ray of hope for poor families like ours.”
Dr. Kul Bhushan Bali explained that rebuilding a completely blocked airway using endoscopic techniques is a very rare achievement. "We performed five highly complex surgeries on this girl," he said. He added that only a few hospitals in the world have the skills and facilities for such complicated surgeries, and even there, the success rate is very low. "We are happy that we could give this child a second chance at life," he mentioned.
The One World One Family Mission, led by Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai, is a world-renowned organisation for its free services in education, healthcare, and nutrition. Located on the Andhra-Karnataka border, the mission operates in 100 countries. In India, the Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute in Muddenahalli and the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospitals across the country have provided free medical services to lakhs of people over the last 13 years. Under its Sri Sathya Sai Loka Seva Gurukulam and Sri Sathya Sai University for Human Excellence, it offers free education from 6th grade to PhD. It is also the only institution that provides completely free medical education, including MBBS and PG courses. In nutrition, its 'Sai Sure' program provides a free nutritional drink to over one crore government school children every morning.
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