Services in F’bad Cath Lab on verge of suspension

Bijendra Ahlawat

The services of the Cath Lab in the Civil Hospital in Faridabad city are on the verge of being suspended as the Health Department has failed to clear the bills of the lab operator since the facility started in February. As a result, the dues have swollen to Rs 35.52 lakh.

The lab was opened on the public-private partnership mode in the Civil Hospital for diagnosis and treatment of heart-related problems at half the cost charged in private hospitals.

The Cath Lab is equipped with diagnostic imaging equipment used to visualise the arteries and chambers of the heart and treat stenosis or abnormality, if any.

Similar labs were opened simultaneously in Panchkula, Gurugram and Ambala.

The operator of the Faridabad lab has reportedly expressed its inability to continue with the facility till the bills are cleared.

“With payment not made, the operator is finding it difficult to pay salaries to the staff and meet maintenance cost,” says an official.

The operators of the Cath Labs at other places are also facing the same problem, he says, adding the dues has surpassed Rs 1 crore.

Faridabad Chief Medical Officer Dr BK Rajora claims that the payment (Rs 3.9 lakh) for July has been made and the facility is running uninterrupted.

Principal Medical Officer Dr Virender Yadav claims that in spite of the payment issue, the Cath Lab has been operational. “About 400 cases of angiography and 250 cases of angioplasty have been successfully handled,” he adds.