Mangaluru: Minister of health and family welfare Dinesh Gundu Rao inaugurated a cath lab and the new dialysis unit at Govt Wenlock District Hospital on Sunday.The new cath lab was set up on the ground floor of the latest surgical block of Wenlock Hospital. Meanwhile, the 24-bed dialysis unit has been shifted to the new state-of-the-art facility on the fourth floor of the building.The minister said that with the opening of the cath lab, procedures like angioplasty and angiogram will now be available to poor patients at Wenlock Hospital. The KMC Hospital has already deputed specialists and other staff for the cath lab. It is a first-of-its-kind initiative in a govt hospital in the state. While the cath lab was built for Rs 5 crore with the support of KMC, the govt will bear the cost of medicines and other expenses, he added.“It is a matter of pride that advanced medical facilities are now available to the poor patients at Wenlock through this lab. Though BPL patients are charged for angiograms, steps are being taken at the state level to provide concessions,” he said.The dialysis unit, which was earlier functioning in the old building, has been shifted to the new block, he said, adding that several companies, including MRPL and KIOCL, have supported the construction.The new dialysis unit has 24 dialysis machines to provide free treatment to patients. Each machine is capable of providing three to four cycles of dialysis per day. It will help dialysis patients, who need treatment at least twice a week, he said.The DK district has nine dialysis facilities, including the taluk hospitals. A total of 94 dialysis machines are functional in the district. More machines will be procured through CSR funds if necessary. Additionally, the govt also has plans to introduce peritoneal dialysis units in all districts. At least ten patients, especially children, will be selected for peritoneal dialysis, the minister said.Stipend for nursing studentsIn response to the issue of nursing students at Wenlock Nursing College not receiving stipends for the past four years, the minister said that the issue was brought to his notice. “Since the College comes under the medical education department, I will bring it to the notice of minister Sharanprakash Patil,” he said.
