Calcutta Telegraph, India
May 5 2005
A hospital with a history
– Modern heart institute opens on Friday in condemned house
A STAFF REPORTER
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles had washed their hands of it. So
did Mark Tully.
Yet, Albert Victor Hospital, where Bidhan Chandra Roy had worked till
his last days, has the potential of turning into the city’s best
institute for cardiovascular sciences.
Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee will inaugurate the Rs
10-crore, state-of-the-art cardiac facility inside RG Kar Medical
College and Hospital on Friday. The public works department had
sought to demolish the building 15 years ago.
“Its history goes back to 1912, when King George V and Queen Mary had
donated Rs 5,000 to complete the hospital, named after Queen
Victoria’s grandson, Albert Victor. We have retained the plaque and
all other historical pieces as evidence. We wanted to turn it into
the best centre for cardiac diseases and now, our dreams have finally
been realised,” said Abhijit Banerjee, head of cardiology department
and director of the new institute.
Banerjee had earlier tried in vain to attract funds from Britain. “I
had told them that it was their duty to save the hospital and the
building which was very much British, but they only thanked me for my
efforts to save the building. The government then decided to mobilise
grants to save the hospital,” said Banerjee.
Help came from unexpected quarters. The Armenian Church decided to
allocate Rs 50 lakh for the first time in a non-private health
facility. Funds rolled in slowly.
Apart from a well-furnished lobby and reception desk, the hospital is
equipped with one of the best cath labs, which can take care of cases
of angioplasty, balloon valvoplasty and stent implants.
The cardiac operating theatre (OT) is equipped to carry out multiple
bypass and valve replacement surgeries on a daily basis, apart from
those for congenital heart diseases and paediatric cases.
“Unlike other hospitals, the cath lab and the cardiac OT are
separated by a door. If a patient crashes in the lab, we can
immediately transfer him to the OT without delay,” Banerjee added.
A 16-bed ICCU and a six-bed post-operative ICU will give a complete
makeover to the hospital, which has special male and female
cardiology wards. “A 200-strong-capacity annexe for cardiac patients
is in the pipeline,” Banerjee indicated.
The government is now scouting for good surgeons and medical staff to
ensure that the institute achieves the standards it has set for
itself.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress