Agartala : Tripura added a feather to its cap when first open heart surgery was conducted in a government hospital in the state on the Statehood Day on Friday under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
Medical Superintendent of Agartala Govt Medical College (AGMC) and GBP hospital Dr Sanjib Debbarma on Saturday said the facilities of Cardio Thoracic and Vascular Surgery and Interventional Radiology (CTVS and IR) were installed in the medical college two years ago but there was no surgeon and competent surgery team.
“The Chief Minister who is holding the Health portfolio has made all arrangements as per requirements amid third wave of Covid19. The hospital authority has taken the challenge to start the department fighting a number of odds and conducting first open heart surgery of a 46-yr-old housewife on the statehood day. Tripura has scripted a history,” Dr Debbarma said.
He said Madhabi Rani Das, a resident of Udaipur, had visited the OPD of the hospital with a breathing problem a few weeks ago. After a necessary medical examination, the doctors identified a major atrial defect in the patient’s heart and she was referred to the newly functional Cardiac department.
A 12-member team headed by Dr Kanak Narayan Bhattacharjee, in-charge of the CTVS and IR department, performed the critical surgery over five hours.
The patient was stated to be out of danger now and recovering fast, Dr Debbarma said adding, “This will help the patients of the state to get tertiary healthcare at their doorstep and from now onwards cardiac treatment including critical heart surgery would be performed here on a regular basis.”
According to health officials, the Cath Lab started functioning from July last year and in six months as many as 124 Cath Lab procedures have been successfully completed that include Coronary Angiogram, temporary and permanent pacemaker implantation and digital subtraction angiography etc.
Altogether three heart and vascular surgeries were done including this open heart surgery. All the patients went home back without any mortality. Besides infrastructure and trained staff, Tripura government has recently appointed two cardiologists and there are plans to expand the services. As of now, the department recorded a footfall of 500 patients in the OPD and 182 indoor admissions.