Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao speaking during the annual general meeting of Government Wenlock and Lady Goschen Hospitals at RAPCC Hall, in Mangaluru on Friday.
| Photo Credit: H.S. MANJUNATH
The Cath lab on the ground floor of the new surgical block of the Government Wenlock Hospital will be operational soon, with fire safety clearance by the Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services Department expected shortly, said Wenlock Hospital Superintendent D.S. Shivaprakash here on Friday.
During the general meeting of the Arogya Raksha Samiti of the Hospital, chaired by Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, Dean of KMC-Mangaluru, B. Unnikrishnan, said that KMC has been paying salaries assigned for the Cath lab, which was yet to begin operations.
Dr. Shivaprakash said that the Cath lab functioning was delayed as fire safety clearance was awaited. With the Fire and Emergency Services Department completing the inspection, clearance was expected shortly, Dr. Shivaprakash said.
The charges were fixed at ₹42,000 for a single stent and ₹59,500 for two stents for an above poverty line (APL) cardholder, the Superintendent said. For additional stents, the charge would be ₹20,194, while a BPL cardholder would not be charged for stents.
An APL beneficiary would have to pay ₹7,000 for an angiogram and a BPL beneficiary, ₹5,000. The charges were far less compared to those at Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, Bengaluru, he said.
The Minister said State government will consider making angiogram free for BPL beneficiaries.
When Samiti members pointed to the poor patients facing difficulty in bearing the preliminary CT scan and MRI test charges at Hindlabs MRI Scan Centre on the hospital premises, Dr. Shivaprakash said MRPL has come forward to set up a new CT scan and MRI Test facility.
“This might be finalised during this financial year. With the new lab, CT Scan and MRI will be free for poor patients,” he said. The Minister said 14 district hospitals in the State provided free MRI and CT scans for poor patients.
To the delay in acquiring land from the church to widen the road in front of the old OPD block and close the road leading to Mangaluru Central Railway Station, Mr. Rao said land cannot be taken by force. Officials will have to convince church administrators to part with the land, the Minister said.
Published – August 02, 2025 12:11 am IST
