Heart surgeries on hold at Patiala's Govt Rajindra Hospital

Tribune News Service

Patiala, October 28

Amid the shortage of medicines and surgical items, the Government Rajindra Hospital has stopped conducting heart surgeries. No bypass and open-heart surgeries have been performed at the hospital since October 15. It has been learnt that 10 planned surgeries are already pending and this number is increasing with each passing day. A superspecialist doctor working at the hospital said poor patients couldn’t buy surgical items and medicines for heart surgeries on their own as they were very expensive. “Around Rs 1.5 lakh-worth surgical items and other medicines are required for one heart surgery. Poor patients cannot afford expensive surgical items on their own,” he said.

The Tribune on Friday found that there was a shortage of even syringes at the hospital. As basic medicines are not available at hospitals, poor patients are the worst hit who have to purchase medicines from private shops.

Chief minister Bhagwant Mann had visited the hospital on October 19 and had assured the provision of medicines at the earliest.

When the issue was raised with Health and Medical Eduction Minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra, he said, “We have already released Rs 13 crore. The issue will be resolved in 10 days.”

Meanwhile, sources said owing to the pending bill worth crores of rupees, Jan Aushadi Kendra couldn’t purchase the medicines.

Employees at Jan Aushadi Kendra informed that they couldn’t purchase the medicines for the past few weeks. Consequently, patients admitted there are not able to buy even the basic medicines from Rajindra hospital’s Jan Aushadi Kendra where medicines are given at subsidised rates.

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