Sans technologists, docs unable to perform surgeries at Government Rajindra Hospital

Karam Prakash

Tribune News Service

Patiala, June 21

Despite availability of cardiologist and cardiac surgeon at the newly constructed super specialty ward of the Government Rajindra Hospital, heart patients of the Malwa region, especially poor people, are at the receiving end. Reason is lack of surgical technologists.

Heart surgeries, including bypass (CABG), valve replacement and congenital heart defect repairs, cannot be performed sans allied health professionals.

It has been learnt that the catheterisation laboratory, commonly referred to as cath lab, has been non-functional for over a year owing to non-availability of the technical staff.

As a result coronary angiography (CAG) and angioplasty cannot be performed at the hospital. Patients either rush to expensive private hospitals or go to the PGIMER, Chandigarh, for such surgeries.

Notably, coronary angiography, a procedure to detect coronary artery diseases like blockage etc costs between Rs10, 000 to Rs20,000. And angioplasty, an invasive endovascular procedure used to open blocked or narrowed arteries, costs between Rs1.30 lakh to Rs3.5 lakh.

Ironically, not even a single open-heart surgery has been performed despite availability of cardiac surgeons at the super-specialty ward of Rajindra Hospital, which was inaugurated in 2019.

One of the super-specialist doctors while pleading anonymity said, “We are not here for OPDs. We need to perform surgeries and save lives. It is disappointing that the government is not providing the support staff. If things don’t change sooner, I have no option, but to leave the job.”

It is pertinent to mention that a neurosurgeon had to resign last year after he couldn’t perform a single surgery since his joining.

Sources informed that doctors need ICU technician, OT technician, perfusionist and cath-lab technician in their team to perform surgeries.

Meanwhile, Dr Rajan Singla, Principal, Government Medical College, said, “Cath lab will be functional as soon as we get technician. Besides, some heart surgeries are being performed at the hospital.”