Health Minister Ma. Subramanian inaugurated the cath lab at the Kalaignar Centenary Super Speciality Hospital in Chennai on Thursday, January 4, 2024
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A cath lab has been established at the Kalaignar Centenary Super Speciality Hospital (KCSSH), in Chennai, at a cost of ₹6.74 crore. This is the fifth cath lab in a government hospital in Chennai, and the 25th in Tamil Nadu.
Shortly after inaugurating the facility at KCSSH on Thursday, January 4, 2024, T.N. Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said that in Chennai, the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH); Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital, Omandurar Estate; Government Stanley Medical College Hospital and Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital had cath labs.
“The new facility at KCSSH will benefit not only the people of south Chennai but also those from other northern districts of the State. There were 24 cath labs in the government sector until now, and this is the 25th facility. The 26th cath lab will be inaugurated at the Tiruvarur Government Medical College Hospital. Steps are being taken to set up these facilities in four more places,” he told reporters.
With the launch of the cardiac cath lab at KCSSH, procedures such as angiograms, stenting, pacemaker implantations and heart valve repairs can be performed at the hospital in the future.
Mr. Subramanian said that KCSSH received more than 800 outpatients a day. Apart from residents of Chennai, people from many other districts including Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Villupuram, Tiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai and Cuddalore were availing of services at the hospital. The hospital had between 160 and 200 in-patients every day. Since the hospital’s inauguration six months ago, a total of 88,589 persons have been treated as outpatients. A total of 687 surgeries have been performed, he said.
The Minister said that so far, funds to the tune of ₹447 crore have been allotted for the hospital towards infrastructure and medical equipment.
The Minister said that earlier, the PET CT scan devices were available only at RGGGH in Chennai and the Government Rajaji Hospital, Madurai. In the past 2.5 years however, these devices have been made available at four more places: Tirunelveli, Thanjavur, Coimbatore and Salem.
Mr. Subramanian said that emergency loading doses to treat persons experiencing symptoms of heart attacks were launched in 2,286 Primary Health Centres (PHC) and 8,713 Health Sub Centres (HSC) in June 2023. So far, a total of 4,779 persons have received the emergency loading dose in PHCs and 372 in HSCs.
Health Secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Director of Medical Education and Research J. Sangumani and KCSSH Director L. Parthasarathy also participated.