Doctors at Government Rajindra Hospital in Punjab have successfully saved the life of a one-day-old baby girl born with a rare congenital defect that left a significant portion of her oesophagus undeveloped, preventing her from swallowing milk or saliva. The surgery, deemed urgent due to the risk of chest infection, was performed free of charge under the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana, a state government health scheme. Health Minister Balbir Singh praised the expertise of the multi-disciplinary team, which included paediatric surgeon Dr. Ravi Garg and anaesthesia specialists. The baby, weighing 2.1 kg, was born via caesarean section on April 20. After the surgery, which involved creating an opening in the oesophagus for saliva drainage and inserting a feeding tube into her stomach, the baby spent 26 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and is now recovering. Singh noted that such congenital defects occur in about one in every 4,500 newborns in India, with survival rates being low, emphasizing the significance of the hospital's capability to handle such complex cases.