PGI aims to reduce waiting time for cardiac surgeries

LUCKNOW: If patients want to go for a heart surgery at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), they will have to wait till 2026. And in case of kidney transplant, they will have to wait till 2021, says Rakesh Kapoor, director of the institute.

But the PGI administration aims to double the number of cardiac surgeries and triple kidney transplants to reduce the waiting time by enhancing facilities and infrastructure required for these procedures.

“The PGI will be 35 years old on Friday and we need to improve services. At present, the hospital performs 860 cardiac surgeries and 130 kidney transplants in a year. But within a year, the institute will start kidney transplant centre and increase post-operative ICU beds in cardio-vascular and thoracic care department,” says Kapoor.

The aim is to improve the existing infrastructure and increase the number of experts,

›

Within a year, the institute will start kidney transplant centre and increase postoperative ICU beds in cardio-vascular and thoracic care department. RAKESH KAPOOR, director, SGPGI

operation theatres, nurses and other support staff to reduce waiting period, he emphasises.

“From 12 ICU post-operative beds, we are going to increase the number to 26. One operation theatre in CVTS department is also increased. Besides, 200-bed kidney transplant centre will be ready within a year,” adds Kapoor.

“Currently, we are able to perform around 2 to 3 transplants every week, which would be increased to 10 to 15 per week once the centre comes up,” he says.

“After a year and a half, we would be able to perform at least 1,600 cardiac surgeries and 500 kidney transplants in a year,

which will reduce the waiting list, and save more lives,” says SK Agarwal of cardio vascular and thoracic surgery department.

PGI gets the rush of patients because even complex cardiac

surgery is available at Rs 1.5 lakh compared to Rs 5 lakh in corporate or private hospitals, said Amit Agarwal, chief medical superintendent, PGI.

Apart from this, the number of beds would be increased to 200

from 60 at the trauma centre run by PGI.

A new 210-bed emergency medicine block is also coming up within a year and the institute has taken a loan of Rs 473 crore for it.