A Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory (Cath Lab), the first such facility in the district-level and fourth in the State, and a 100-bed trauma care centre were inaugurated by Health Minister T Harish Rao at the Government district headquarters hospital in Khammam on Friday.
The cath lab was set up at a cost of ₹7.50 crore at the newly constructed block named cardiac emergency and trauma care centre on the premises of the hospital here.
With the inauguration of the trauma care centre comprising 100 beds, the total bed strength in the district headquarters hospital has gone up to 550.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Harish Rao said the cath lab and trauma care centre were set up at the government hospital in Khammam, a major health facility in the State’s tribal heartland, to ensure prompt emergency medical services to patients with life threatening conditions and injuries.
Three cath labs are presently functioning one each at the NIMS, Osmania General Hospital and Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad. Another cath lab will be set up in the government hospital in Adilabad, he said.
Two cardiologists have been appointed and the requisite equipment including stents procured for the cath lab in the district headquarters hospital in Khammam.
A milk bank, the second such facility in the State after Niloufer hospital in Hyderabad, has been set up in Khammam government hospital. It will cater to needy newborn babies through voluntary breast milk donation by lactating mothers.
Responding to a slew of representations made by the local elected representatives, the Minister said chemotherapy and radiotherapy services will be introduced in the Khammam government hospital soon. A Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine will be sanctioned to the hospital in the next financial year, he added.
The mortuary at Khammam hospital will be modernised and adequate funds for its renovation will be released soon.
He said a little over 77.33 lakh houses were surveyed during the State-wide door-to-door fever survey and more than 3.45 lakh home isolation kits were distributed among those found suffering from fever and other symptoms. The second-round of fever survey is progressing at a brisk pace as part of intensive efforts to rein in the spread of COVID-19.
Oxygen generation plants are functional in as many as 86 government hospitals including Khammam hospital in the State and one crore home isolation kits are kept ready as part of preparedness to tackle any eventuality.
He reiterated his appeal to the Centre to reduce the time gap between the second dose and booster dose to administer precautionary doses to all.
Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar, Khammam MP Nama Nageswara Rao, Collector V P Gautham and others were present.
