Ready to share patient load with govt, says Medanta director

LUCKNOW: Public-private collaboration in the health sector can be answer to the ever-increasing patient load and the demand for quality health services, said Dr Rakesh Kapoor, director, Medanta Hospital, at a press conference here on Saturday.

“Government doctors and institutes such as PGI and the medical colleges work very hard, but the patient load is high. And if the health system is not strong, people rush to places where it is strong, such as the rush to Lucknow from other districts in Uttar Pradesh,” said Dr Kapoor.

“We are ready to partner with the government to share the load to help patients get speedy treatment in (cases of) heart attack, stroke, trauma and multiple organ failure. We are gradually starting various government schemes for poor patients and shall further share the load if the government wants us to do so,” said Dr Kapoor, who joined Medanta recently after completing his term at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS).

Doctors spoke about some critical cases that were attended by them. Dr Gauranga Mazumdar, director, Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery (CTVS), said, “We handled the case of a 22-year-old boy with a broken rib who had cut off the main artery of his heart, which reduced blood flow, causing a massive heart attack. This left the heart functioning at 10% only.”

It was very difficult, but the team decided to do this high-risk bypass surgery to save him and conducted the operation successfully, he said. Dr Kapoor said soon PICU and NICU units will also be given shape..