Cath lab for heart patients to come up at GMSH soon

Chandigarh, December 23

The Government Multi Specialty Hospital (GMSH) is initiating the process of establishing a cath lab, with the second tender application seeing interest from two to three companies.

Aimed at bringing down referrals to PGI, GMCH

• The Health Department plans to start the cath lab to provide comprehensive heart care and diagnostics within the hospital, reducing the need for patient referrals to PGIMER and GMCH
• Currently, cath lab facilities are available at PGI and GMCH. If implemented at the GMSH, heart patients could receive treatment at all three hospitals

The Health Department plans to start the cath lab to provide comprehensive heart care and diagnostics within the hospital, reducing the need for patient referrals to the PGIMER and the GMCH. The department had attempted to establish the lab earlier this year and issued tenders to that end, but no company showed any interest. A recent tender has, however, garnered applications from several companies, signalling potential progress in the project, which might begin in the next year. The Director of Health Services, Dr Suman Singh, stated that two to three major companies had already applied for it.

Currently, cath lab facilities are available at the PGI and the GMCH in the city. If implemented at the GMSH, heart patients could receive treatment at all three hospitals. Although the patient numbers have swelled at the health facility over the years, infrastructure and specialty services have not kept pace. The plan is designed to ensure that the GMSH offers treatment for heart-related ailments, preventing the need to refer emergency cases to larger hospitals. Currently, around 300 to 400 cardiac surgeries are performed in the gynaecology OPD. While the department wishes to introduce several other services in the hospital, space constraints impede progress on such initiatives. An extension of the hospital is anticipated to enable the launch of advanced services.

A cath lab performs procedures like angioplasty, angiography, pacemaker implantation, PMSV (treating holes in children’s hearts) and treatment for blockages in various parts of the body, including the heart.