A one-stop heart centre for the poor

By B.S.Ramesh

BANGALORE, APRIL 17. The world's biggest heart hospital is now in Brazil and Bangalore will have that distinction in two years when the Narayana Hrudayalaya, which is coming up on the outskirts of the City, will become fully functional.

Located on 12.5 acres of land on Hosur Road near Bommasandra, about 20 km. from Bangalore, the two lakh sq. ft. hospital is the brainchild of the noted cardiac surgeon, Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty.

Conceived as a seven-storied building, the hospital now occupies four floors, with five operation theatres on each floor. The hospital expects to undertake 20 to 25 operations a day after it is formally inaugurated next week. When completed in two years, the hospital will have 30 operation theatres and four cathlabs.

It has state-of-the-art medical and tele-medical facilities. The tele-medical facility will connect the hospital with the seven States of the North-East and West Bengal. With its large pool of experts and specialists, the hospital is expected to provide a one-stop care centre for people suffering from cardiac problems.

At present, the hospital has 280 beds, with 60 per cent reserved for the poor and needy patients for whom operation and treatment will be subsidised. When completed, the hospital is expected to be one of the largest of its kind with a bed strength of 780.

Dr. Shetty says the hospital is in the process of acquiring 12.5 more acres of land adjoining the site. Once the land is obtained, the hospital plans to construct a self-contained township.

While every care has been taken to make patients feel comfortable, the Hrudalaya has made arrangements for accommodating the relatives of patients. The wards are not only well-designed but are well furnished too. No wonder, the hospital has attracted a large number of patients and has a waiting list.

Dr. Shetty says the basic idea of building such a heart care centre was to show the way for the governments in providing the medicare for the poor. That there is a dearth of such hospitals can be ascertained by the fact that only 45,000 of the lakhs of Indians suffering from cardiac problems are treated every year.

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Section  : Southern States
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