GEORGE TOWN, MALAYSIA - Four-month-old Ainul Mardhiah Nazlan needs between RM20,000 (S$8,392) and RM25,000 (S$10,490) to undergo an operation as soon as possible.

The operation, to be performed at the Gleneagles Medical Centre here, is to repair severe birth defects.

Ainul Mardhiah has an extra blood vessel connecting two major blood vessels of the heart, and a narrowing of part of the major blood vessel leading out of the heart. Her condition has resulted in chest infection, weight loss, breathing difficulty and heart failure.

Her father, Nazlan Abdullah, 28, a factory production operator in Sungai Petani, Kedah, earns RM800 (S$335.68) a month, while her mother, Mashithoh Abdul Rahim, 23, is a housewife.

They cannot afford to pay for their only child's operation.

Those who wish to help Ainul Mardhiah can send cheques, made payable to The New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd, with her name written on the reverse, to: The Cashier, Finance Department/Charity Unit, The New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd, Balai Berita, No. 31, Jalan Riong, 59100 Kuala Lumpur.