Rs 10 crore aid to ramp up Kottayam heart centre

KOTTAYAM: The elevation of the cardiothoracic unit at the Kottayam Medical College Hospital as a regional heart centre by integrating the cardiology and cardiothoracic units and the budget allocation of Rs 10 crore will help fulfill a long-cherished dream of the people who depend on the hospital.

“The new status will help us overcome fund constraints, recruit staff and offer better treatment to patients,” head of the cardiothoracic department Dr T.K.  Jayakumar told Deccan Chronicle. The elevation of status will also give the centre more autonomy in functioning, he said.

At present, the hospital reimburses a major portion of the cost of surgeries through the Karunya scheme while the patients bear a portion. “When we get more funds, we will be able to further bring down the cost of treatment,” Dr Jayakumar said.

The government decision follows a proposal Dr Jayakumar presented to the government after he led a team to conduct the first heart transplant surgery in the government sector in the state on September 16, 2015.

Dr Jayakumar’s proposal consisted of setting up a pediatric cardiac surgery unit, which includes a special theatre, and a second cathlab for conducting angiogram and angioplasty.

The Kottayam MCH had conducted 1,200 open heart surgeries and 500 major thoracic-vascular surgeries and cardiac surgeries in 2015. In 2014, it performed more than 1,000 cardiac surgeries.