Free Angioplasty for Poor Patients by Bengaluru Doctor

All human beings having access to quality healthcare is their rights irrespective of their social status. But, the current scenario prevailing in the healthcare sector in India making it entirely unreachable for the poor and only wealthy could afford it. A doctor in the city of a tech hub, Bengaluru is offering free angioplasty to the poor, who are no less deserving for it.//

"I have been wanting to treat the poor free as they can't afford the prohibitive cost of quality treatment," Kiron Varghese, head of cardiology at St John's Medical College & Hospital, told IANS.

Coronary Balloon Angioplasty
Coronary balloon angioplasty is an interventional procedure wherein blood flow is restored in a blocked blood artery supplying the heart.

‘Angioplasty is a minimally invasive endovascular procedure performed using a tube that is inserted through a blood vessel in the groin or arm to widen the narrowed or obstructive blood vessels or veins in the heart, as a result of atherosclerosis.’

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With funds raised from friends and well-wishers, Varghese, 59, will perform about 30 angioplasty surgeries on the heart patients of the economically weaker sections over a month, till February 19.

Angioplasty, which involves insertion of a tube or a stent to widen blocked arteries, costs Rs 1-2 lakh at private hospitals.

"As only a limited number of surgeries can be performed with the funds raised, younger patients and breadwinners of their families will get preference for the surgery," said Varghese.

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Heart attack is the death of the heart muscle due to loss of blood supply. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Other names for heart attack include acute myocardial infarction, coronary thrombosis, and coronary occlusion.

One arterial block of each patient will be cleared through angioplasty so as to benefit the maximum numbers.

Patients requiring immediate surgery will be selected through a screening process.

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According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Indians suffer most from cardiovascular diseases globally, with a fifth of deaths due to heart ailments in the Indian subcontinent.

Awareness of the dreaded disease, however, is low, especially in rural areas, a study commissioned by global medical technology trade association Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed), found.

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Takayasu arteritis is a type of vasculitis that affects the aorta and its branches.

Though the cost of an angioplasty at state-run hospitals is less than in private hospitals, shortage of catheterization laboratories (an examination room with imaging equipment to visualize heart's arteries) and dearth of skilled cardiologists, make them unable to meet the demand and risk a heart patient's life, said the AdvaMed study released last year.

"The arterial blocks are more common among men in the 40-60 age group," added Varghese.

Source-IANS