In a major relief to economically disadvantaged patients at the Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS), the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD)-run Sri Venkateswara Pranadana Trust has announced a total of ₹2.2 crore financial assistance to as many as 623 patients suffering from critical and complex ailments for their advanced treatments and surgeries.

The Pranadana scheme selection committee’s meeting, chaired by SVIMS Director and Vice-Chancellor Dr. G. Jagadeesh, selected the beneficiaries at the Sri Padmavathi Auditorium on Monday. Patients were shortlisted based on their medical condition and eligibility for assistance, with priority given to impoverished families living below the poverty line and possessing ration cards. The beneficiaries will receive treatment and surgeries entirely free of cost under the scheme.

The 623 beneficiaries were selected across 19 medical specialties. The largest number, 149, were from nephrology, followed by 73 from gastroenterology, 64 each from general surgery and neurology, 51 from gynaecology, 41 from neurosurgery, 36 from cardiology, 26 each from cardiothoracic surgery, medicine and medical oncology, 24 from surgical oncology and 16 from radiation oncology. The remaining beneficiaries were from ENT, radiology, paediatrics, endocrinology, psychiatry, nuclear medicine and urology.

The beneficiaries include patients requiring treatment for serious cardiac, renal, neurological, oncological and gastrointestinal disorders, among other complex conditions.

Dr. Jagadeesh said the Pranadana Trust was providing a critical lifeline to families unable to afford expensive and specialised medical care. “No poor patient should be denied life-saving treatment merely because of financial constraints,” he said, describing the initiative as a significant humanitarian service.

He said the latest assistance would bring hope to hundreds of families facing the financial burden of critical illness and thanked the TTD management for its continued support to the scheme. He also appealed to devotees, donors, corporates and philanthropic organisations to contribute to the trust to enable it to extend life-saving treatment to more needy patients.