Separate departments of cardiac anaesthesia and neuroanaesthesiology to come up at PGI

Last year, PGI Director Dr Vivek Lal had invited suggestions from all departments to identify areas with high patient load and, especially where super speciality services were needed. Cardiac and neuro anaesthesia were prioritised based on the proposals received, and a proposal was drafted for their independent departmental formation. This proposal was recently presented as Agenda Item D-8 in the Governing Body meeting and has been approved, PGI sources said.

“This decision aims to offer more specialised and focused care to cardiac and neurological patients. Additionally, this move will enhance opportunities for research and training in these areas. These new departments will not only benefit patients through better service delivery but also strengthen PGI’s research capabilities and academic activities, and in the future, more such super-speciality departments may be considered,” they said.

“Last year, the PGI established a separate Bone Marrow Transplant Unit for children and the Department of Clinical Haematology, aiming to reduce the need for patients to move between multiple departments.

In line with this, the PGI administration has been planning new departments for some time. The administration stated that the goal is to create separate departments where there is high stress, a heavy workload, and a large patient base. This helps streamline work, improves efficiency, and benefits both patients and doctors”

“Accordingly, the number of intensive care beds in the cardiology unit has been increased. There are currently 10 beds in the High Dependency Unit (HDU) for paediatric cardiac patients, to reduce waiting lists for children,” they added.