New Cath labs, CT scans in Telangana govt hospitals provide advanced heart care

Hyderabad: The government hospitals in Telangana have stepped into the domain of life-saving heart procedures, providing free angiograms and stent implants for the underprivileged. Traditionally, such interventions were exclusive to private healthcare institutions, with experienced faculty and high-end medical infrastructure. However, over the past year, Gandhi Hospital and Osmania General Hospital (OGH) have been conducting an average of 450 angiograms and implanting 150 to 160 stents every month at no cost to financially challenged patients.

The pivotal factor in this paradigm shift is the accessibility of advanced medical diagnostic equipment like Cath labs and CT scans. The doctors at the hospital said that the installation of these facilities at Gandhi Hospital in December 2021 has empowered the medical teams to undertake critical surgeries without imposing financial burdens on the patients.

“Apart from heart procedures, we are also utilising Cath lab for cerebral angiograms for patients suffering from blocked blood vessels in the brain, known as aneurysms. Of course, 90 per cent of the patients are heart patients in a Cath lab, but the remaining comprise brain stroke patients,” said Dr M Raja Rao, superintendent of Gandhi Hospital, highlighting the broader applications of Cath lab technology.

OGH serves as nodal centre for district hospitals

Over the past year, several government hospitals, including those in Adilabad, Warangal, Khammam, Mahabubnagar, Siddipet, and Hyderabad, have established Cath labs equipped with high-end medical equipment.

Dr B Nagender, Superintendent of OGH, emphasised the commitment to providing the best facilities for free to extremely poor patients. “Our cardiology team, in addition to conducting angiograms and implanting, treats at least 200 heart attack patients by conducting emergency heart procedures. All the patients who undergo such surgeries at OGH are extremely poor, but we ensure that they have access to the best facilities for free of cost.”

The Cardiology Department at OGH acts as a hub for 20 government healthcare facilities in the districts. Operating under the ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) model, the hospitals stabilize heart attack patients locally before promptly transporting them to OGH for necessary surgeries. This strategic approach ensures that critical interventions are accessible to patients in districts, irrespective of their financial constraints.