Ten children from Guyana, who have not been permitted to leave a hospital in Chennai for non-settlement of bills for their heart surgeries, were allowed to return home after an NGO, which sponsored them, and the hospital reached an agreement on Saturday.
The Guyana-based NGO, Kids First Fund, run by Varshnie Singh, former First Lady of the Carribean Republic, had agreed to settle the bills within six months for surgeries performed at Frontier Lifeline Hospital, sources in the hospital said.
Singh, who made a vain bid to take the children on Friday, confirmed that a settlement has been reached and they would leave either on Saturday or Sunday depending on availability of air tickets.
The children and two adults brought by Singh were about to leave the hospital late on Friday night on completion of treatment, but hospital officials insisted she settle the bills for the surgeries, performed earlier this month, before they left.
The NGO had been sending children to the hospital for heart surgeries for the last four years and used to settle bills after their return by raising funds, Varshnie had said.
Before reaching Guyana, the children would visit London for a fund raising event, she said. Prior to the settlement, hospital Chief Administrative Officer Jose Manavalan had said the NGO owed $ 13,000 on account of surgeries performed during the last visit, but the hospital waived it.