A full-fledged cardiothoracic unit is expected to start functioning at the Government Medical College, Ernakulam, towards the end of January.
At a cost of ₹12.5 crore, it will be the first super-specialty unit in the public sector, catering to the needs of the poor. While the District General Hospital has a cardiac unit that has been functioning for the last 16 months, it will become a full-fledged unit only when the super-specialty block becomes a reality.
Converting the three floors of a four-storey building that was earlier built as pay-ward, work on the cardiac unit in what is called the A-block, next to the Cancer Centre, is progressing, according to Principal V.K. Sreekala.
There was delay in the re-tendering process because of changes in the Goods and Services Tax, and hence, the opening of the facility had to be pushed to January-end, she added.
The civil works are being done by the Public Works Department (PWD) after the floors were re-planned to cater to the needs of the cardiac unit. The Kerala Health Research and Welfare Society will provide the infrastructure for the critical care unit.
Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited will set up the cath lab in the unit. The cath lab will cost ₹8 crore while the infrastructure will cost ₹4.5 crore. The government had earlier earmarked the fund to start the unit in the medical college.
The government has already created four posts for the unit — those of a professor, an associate professor and two assistant professors.
The medical college had already identified a group of 10 nurses for the cardiac unit. Training for them has begun in two batches.
