Jayadeva cardiac unit in Kalaburagi comes as a boon to poor patients

Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research establishing its full-fledged unit in Kalaburagi has turned to be a boon to patients with cardiac issues. In a short period, the institute has made its presence felt in the region.

Established on a 50,000 sq ft area, occupying the entire third floor of the new Government General Hospital building, at a cost of more than Rs. 20 crore, the institute is the first state-of-the-art all-inclusive cardiac care superspeciality hospital in the region.

The pro-poor approach adopted by the institute, an autonomous body, has brought hi-end cardiac care, including the latest cathlab with facilities to handle angiogram, angioplasty, valvuloplasty, angioplasty stenting, and pacemakers, closer to economically poor patients. Although the institute was formally inaugurated on May 23, 2016, the actual patient inflow picked up only during June and July.

According to in-charge administrator of the Kalaburagi unit of the institute Santosh Bhimrao, the total outpatients who had availed themselves of treatment as on Tuesday was 3,550 and the in-patients who underwent various procedures for cardiac ailments was 430 so far in the 100-bed hospital.

As many as 36 beds are dedicated exclusively to ICCU.

Every day, three procedures ranging from angiogram, angioplasty, angioplasty stenting, valvuloplasty and installing pacemakers are carried out in the institute. In July, the average number of procedures in the cathlab ranged from 10 to 12.

Director of the institute C.N. Manjunath told The Hindu over phone from Bengaluru that the motto of the institute, “Treatment First and Payment Next”, practised in the Bengaluru and the Mysuru units, has been extended to the Kalaburagi unit also.

One of the features of the treatment facilities in the institute was that all treatment provided to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes is completely free. Besides, highly subsidised treatment is extended to BPL and Antyodaya card holders.

Dr. Manjunath said that due to some technical aspects and delay in the arrival of equipment, a full-fledged operation theatre in the Kalaburagi unit could not be inaugurated in time to take up open heart surgeries.

Installation of equipment in the OT wing was going on and it would be inaugurated next month when open heart surgeries would become a reality in the Kalaburagi unit.