50th pacemaker implantation done at GMC Anantnag

Excelsior Correspondent

Srinagar, July 13: The Cardiology section of the Department of General Medicine at Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag, today performed its 50th pacemaker implantation.
As per the officials, the milestone was achieved at the MMABM Hospital Janglatmandi, which is an associated hospital of GMC Anantnag.
The team of cardiologists at GMC Anantnag, including Dr. Shameem Iqbal and Dr. Showkat Shah, have been performing pacemaker implantations regularly over the past several months under the guidance of Dr. Mushtaq Ahmad Lone, Head of the Department of General Medicine.
These procedures have been carried out in the Orthopedics theatre under C-arm guidance, ensuring precision and safety for the patients, GMC said.
It is pertinent to mention that since the appointment of the new Principal, Prof. Dr. Rukhsana Najeeb, who is also a Professor of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care and has led the Department of Anaesthesiology at GMC Srinagar for 12 years, tertiary care operative procedures are now routinely performed at GMC Anantnag. These procedures include Whipple surgery, low anterior resection, laryngectomy, among others.
Officials further said that additionally, the construction of a Cath Lab at GMC Anantnag is underway.
“Once completed, this facility will further enhance the hospital’s capabilities in providing advanced cardiac care to patients, reducing the need for referrals to other centers for such critical procedures.”
All these life-saving procedures were conducted under the Ayushman Bharat (Golden Card) facility, making them accessible to patients free of cost.
According to the doctors, in the private sector, such procedures can cost up to 4 to 5 lakh rupees. However, at GMC Anantnag, these 50 dual-chamber pacemaker implantation procedures were done free of cost under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.