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| Kathmandu, Monday April 07, 2003 Chaitra 24, 2059. |
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Docs lock horns with Govt over
shifting of premier cardiac unit
By Perina Pathak
KATHMANDU, April 6 : The medical community is up
in arms against the Health Minister’s decision to shift the Cardiac Surgery
Department of Bir Hospital to the Shahid Gangalal National Heart Centre (SGNHC).
Doctors at Bir Hospital and other hospitals have
launched a strong protest to the concerned authorities. They are also on a
signature-collection drive against the move.
The ministerial decision, which was taken on
March 24, spelt out lack of resources and manpower at Bir Hospital as the main factors for
the decision. "The decision was taken because the department is facing a lack of
resources and manpower," said Mahendra Nath Aryal, Secretary, the Ministry of Health.
"The unit is also not essential because all over the world the practice is not to put
two advanced centres within a distance of four kilometres."
The Health Minister’s decision will only
shift the cardiac surgery department to SFNHC. Other heart-related departments will
continue to function at Bir Hospital. But the move is already raising alarm bells within
the medical community and there are few takers to this explanation. The medical community
sees politics in what the Health Minister Upendra Devkota, a practising doctor at Bir
Hospital has done.
"If this decision is to be implemented, it
will create difficulties for countless heart patients in the country," said Dr
Damodar Pokharel, Chief Cardiac Surgeon at Bir Hospital. "It is apparent that SGNHC
alone cannot fulfil the increasing needs of heart patients."
A month ago Bir Hospital, the oldest hospital in
the country, was converted into National Academy of Medical Science (NAMS) with a focus on
developing it into a multi-speciality health care centre as well as multi-trauma centre.
Doctors say, the idea of a trauma centre is defeated if heart operations cannot be carried
out.
"It will be very impractical to develop
NAMS into a multi-speciality centre and multi-trauma centre without the cardiac surgery
department, as it is an essential unit in emergency care," said Dr Pokharel.
In 1992, the first open-heart surgery was
conducted in the cardiac department of the Bir Hospital. Similarly in 2000, the same unit
began coronary by-pass surgery. The cardiac surgical unit of the hospital consists of two
operation theatres of international standards.
Before the construction of cardiac surgical
department, the cardiac unit was jointly operated with neuro department. The departments
were separated around five months ago. While working together, each department used to
conduct surgeries on a sharing basis. Post-separation, the cardiac surgery department has
evolved into an advanced and hi-tech unit.
After the decision, plans are on to shift the
neuro surgical department to the empty unit after the cardiac surgical department shifts
from the Bir Hospital.
According to Dr Abani Bhushan Upadhyaya,
Vice-President of Cardiac Society, Nepal and SAARC, the SGNHC was constructed to provide
extra services other than making duplication of the services provided by Bir Hospital and
Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH). "But this decision may lead to
increased load to the SGNHC," he added.
SGNHC is an autonomous institution and the
merging of government institution and rule may lead to a conflict of interests which may
disturb the work, said experts. On the other hand, the ministry alone cannot take a
decision unless the SGNHC board members pass the proposal.
Talking to The Kathmandu Post, Dr Bhagwan
Koirala, executive director of the SGNHC said, "We are not interested in interfering
with the government’s decision and have no role in initiating this decision."
The SGNHC, in its opinion submitted to the
Health Ministry, has also asked for clarification about the working process after the unit
and officials will merge with the autonomous body.
Various health related associations like the
Nepal Heart Foundation (NHF), Heart Club Nepal, Cardiac Society- Nepal and other
organisations have strongly condemned the Health Ministry’s decision to transfer the
cardiac surgery facilities.
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