Mangaluru: The 175-year-old govt Wenlock District Hospital has performed 1,000 cardiac procedures within eight months of setting up of Cath lab. The Cath lab was developed at a cost of Rs 5 crore by MAHE, and the doctors were deployed by KMC as per the MoU with the govt.Wenlock District Hospital superintendent and district surgeon Dr DS Shivaprakash said that with the help of cath lab, 592 Coronary Angiography (CAG) was performed, 372 Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA), 19 Plain Old Balloon Angioplasty (POBA), 12 Temporary Pacemaker Implantation (TPI), and five pericardiocentesis were performed.Dr Shivaprakash said that the Cath Lab serves as a comprehensive cardiac intervention centre catering to patients from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Kodagu, Hassan, Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, Haveri, Davangere, Chitradurga, Dharwad and Kasaragod district of Kerala. The district hospital has also treated patients from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Lakshadweep and Uttar Pradesh as well, he said.The cath lab has contributed towards reducing the financial burden on economically weak patients. Through the PPP model, advanced cardiac interventions are available at significantly reduced costs and patients avoid expensive referrals to distant private institutions. Emergency treatment can be initiated immediately, preventing delays and additional expenditure, he said.CAG is provided free of cost for BPL patients and at approximately Rs 7,000 for APL patients. Similarly, angioplasty is also free for BPL patients, while a single-stent angioplasty costs approximately Rs 42,000 for APL patients and Rs 60,000 for patients from outside the state. Govt schemes like the Ayushman Bharat have further improved access to advanced cardiac care, the doctor added.
