Hyderabad: As many as 41 differently-abled individuals will be able to receive healthcare provided by the orphan health cards under the Rajiv Aarogyasri health insurance coverage. Several of them require the coverage to undergo crucial operations and surgeries.In one instance, a four-year-old abandoned girl, a beneficiary of the initiative at one of the CCIs in Ameerpet, is suffering from a fatal ambiguous myelomeningocele, where the backbone and spinal canal do not close fully before a child is born. The condition can be life-threatening, particularly if left untreated or if complications arise. The girl is undergoing treatment at KIMS Hospital, Secunderabad, and will soon undergo excision surgery.In another case, a one-and-a-half-month-old girl, who was abandoned by her parents, has been suffering from ambiguous genitalia, a condition where a newborn’s external genitals are not clearly either male or female. Recently admitted into a CCI, the girl will receive further treatment under Aarogyasri coverage. Several other children, diagnosed with various disorders including genetic conditions, will also receive treatments through the ‘orphan health card.’Hyderabad Collector Anudeep Durishetty told TOI that during one of the review meetings, it came to their notice that NGOs are facing a shortage of funds for the healthcare needs of orphan children. This led to the initiation of the process to institutionalise the “vulnerable children” under the Aarogyasri health scheme.“For regular checkups, we send children to NIMS, Niloufer, Osmania, and Gandhi Hospital, but for major surgeries and operations, they need to be in larger facilities in private hospitals, which are costly. Every year, there are more admissions and more cases of different kinds and special needs. Aarogyasri will help in that,” said a caretaker from one of the govt homes.While expressing happiness, a 14-year-old boy from one of the CCIs in Bhoiguda and a beneficiary of the initiative, recalled how, due to financial constraints, he was not able to receive timely treatment at a private hospital for an injury to the collarbone.Namrata Jaiswal, a caretaker from Nightingale Homes in Musheerabad, mentioned that the govt intervention will provide essential monetary support to the orphans in getting regular checkups, particularly for those with chronic ailments.Women and Child Development Secretary, Anita Ramachandran, told TOI that the initiative will also indirectly enable the children to shape better career prospects for themselves. She added that the initiative will be extended across the state to all the 10,000 children living in the CCIs.