New catheterisation laboratories (cath labs) will soon be established at government teaching hospitals in Tirupati, Nellore and Srikakulam to expand and strengthen cardiac healthcare services, Health, Medical and Family Welfare Minister Satya Kumar Yadav said on Monday.
In a statement issued on the eve of World Heart Day on September 29, the Minister said the tender process was under way for setting up the three cath labs at a cost of ₹18 crore.
A cath lab equipped with modern infrastructure at the Kakinada Government General Hospital would be opened to the public from October 1, he said.
At present, eight cath labs are functioning at government teaching hospitals across the State. Three of them, including the one at Kakinada, have been established under the public-private partnership (PPP) model.
Mr. Satya Kumar said heart-lung machines would also be provided to government hospitals in Tirupati, Kadapa, Anantapur and Guntur to ensure that patients did not have to travel long distances for cardiac surgeries, including open-heart surgery.
Heart-lung machines are currently available at government hospitals in Kurnool, Guntur and Vijayawada, and at King George Hospital (KGH) in Visakhapatnam.
The State was implementing a ₹34-crore plan to expand cardiac equipment and infrastructure at major government hospitals, the Minister said.
Cardiac services were provided to 10,288 people at cath labs across the State during 2025-26. Of these, 3,624 services were provided at government cath labs and 6,664 through PPP cath labs, he said.
Mr. Satya Kumar said free heart treatment was also being provided to poor patients under the NTR Vaidya Seva scheme at empanelled hospitals in Andhra Pradesh as well as in Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai.
Published – September 28, 2026 08:51 pm IST
