Philips to construct Cath Lab in SMCH – a project worth Rs 5.9 crore; Letter of Intent awaited from Health Dept.

Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH), which is the only medical college in Barak Valley supporting the healthcare need of close to 40 lakh people has a Cardiology department but no Cath Lab. As a result of this, the cardiologists fail to facilitate Angiogram or Angioplasty, the medical processes that can save lives.

It has been a long-standing demand of the people of Barak Valley to have a Cath Lab in SMCH so that people do not have to die on the way to Guwahati, which is a 10-hour journey at least. Cath Lab or formally known as Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory is a medical facility that enables doctors to perform interventional procedures like Atherectomy, Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty, Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, Septal closure devices, Stenting, Thrombectomy.

After Dr. Babul Kumar Bezbaruah joined SMCH as the principal cum chief-superintendent, he submitted a detailed project report to the Director of Medical Education, Government of Assam. In that report, he mentioned several essential developments necessary to upgrade the SMCH. Construction of Cath Lab is one of them. An invitation to tender was floated by the Ministry of Health but that incurred a very poor response. Another one was called and eventually, Philips was shortlisted to construct the Cath Lab in Silchar Medical College and Hospital.

If highly placed sources are to be believed then a proposal of Rs 5.9 crore has been approved for the construction of Cath Lab. The Department of Health is yet to issue the “Letter of Intent” and that is why the work is yet to begin. Sources in the Health and Family Welfare, Government of Assam say the letter of intent will get issued soon but they could not provide a timeline as the funds are getting augmented in arranging an adequate number of ICUs and Pediatrics ICU to combat the current spike of COVID cases.

A team of engineers and technicians from Philips Healthcare visited Silchar Medical College and Hospital for a feasibility study and have presented the idea to the SMCH. The SMCH liked the idea and issued a non-objection certificate to Philips Healthcare, Dutch multinational conglomerate which will now construct the Cath Lab in SMCH.

Once the work commences, it will take three months to have the Cath Lab operational said Dr. Babul Bezbaruah, Principal of Silchar Medical College and Hospital. In an interview with Doordarshan Kendra Silchar, Dr. Bezbaruah said that once the Cath Lab is operational, SMCH can facilitate Angioplasty and Angiogram. “Now, it becomes difficult for us to get specialists as there is no infrastructure. Once that is ready, we will also see doctors joining us at SMCH. Moreover, to perform an Angioplasty or Angiograms, you don’t need added knowledge instead it is a technical process for which you need the technology. We have a Cardiology department in SMCH and we have staff in that department who can perform these processes,” he added in the DDK Silchar interview (Click here to watch the full interview).

He went on to add that once the Cath Lab is ready, Dr. Rakesh P Gopal will visit SMCH with his team and perform Angioplasty and Angiogram to train the doctors at SMCH. Adjunct Professor of Cardiology, Dr. MGR Medical University, Dr. Rakesh Gopal is a Senior Consultant, Interventional Cardiologist Apollo Hospitals, Chennai. In an arrangement with the Department of Health, Government of Assam, Dr. Gopal visits SMCH once every month. He does not charge Assam Government for rendering service here at SMCH. However, the government pays for his travel and lodging.

While this development can save a lot of lives in the three districts of Barak Valley and other parts of North East, when the Department issues the Letter of Intent is something that remains to be seen.