PUNE In a major relief to thousands of patients visiting Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Cantonment General Hospital the Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) has started a catheterisation laboratory and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) here. The demand for NICU beds is huge and the needy can avail of the treatment at nominal charges at the hospital. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)

This will end the hardship of patients who were referred to the Army Institute of Cardio-Thoracic Science (AICTS) and Sassoon General Hospital (SGH) due to the unavailability of facilities, said officials.

The inauguration ceremony for the new facilities was done by Lt Gen Ajai Kumar Singh, general officer-commanding-in-chief, Southern Command, in the presence of KJS Chauhan, Directorate Defence Estates, Southern Command, Pune, on Monday. Chief executive officer of PCB, Subrat Pal and other dignitaries were present during the occasion.

As per the PCB officials, a 16 bedded cath lab, 10 bedded NICU, Jan Aushadi Kendra and a liquid medicine oxygen tank of 13 kilolitres were inaugurated during the event.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is a 200-bed hospital with a maternity ward, dialysis centre and intensive care unit. However, the unavailability of the NICU and advanced cardiac care forced the authorities to refer the patients to other facilities.

Dr Usha Tapase, resident medical officer of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Cantonment General Hospital, said, “In the absence of the cath lab, patients in need of 2D echo, angiography and angioplasty were referred to AICTS.”

“Looking at the response we also look forward to starting cardiac surgeries at the unit in future,” she said.

The PCB has decided to run the facility on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. The units will be outsourced to private players. The tender will be floated soon and the patients will be provided treatment at central government health scheme rates. The decision to run the unit on the PPP model is taken considering the shortage of staff, said officials.

Dr Tapase, further informed due to the availability of maternity care at the hospital there was a need for NICU. Before Covid-19 the hospital had a four bedded NICU which was closed during the pandemic and remained shut till date. Now the NICU has been upgraded to 10 beds.

“The demand for NICU beds is huge and the needy can avail of the treatment at nominal charges at the hospital,” she said.

“The demand for NICU beds is huge and the needy can avail of the treatment at nominal charges at the hospital,” she said.

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