Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 8 May: The state health department took a significant stride towards extending specialist medical services to villages and towns across the state. In a significant joint initiative by the Dehradun district administration and the health department, heart patients in the capital have now begun to receive specialist consultations and diagnostic facilities at the local level. This development is expected to provide substantial relief to residents of remote and rural areas, who previously had to make frequent visits to the over-burdened Doon and Coronation Hospitals for cardiac care. In a new development, specialist cardiac Outpatient Department (OPD) services have been formally introduced at the Premnagar and Raipur Community Health Centres (CHCs), where patients can now access the expertise of cardiologists.
Furthermore, electrocardiogram (ECG) testing facilities have also been made available at these centres for a nominal fee of 150 rupees, ensuring that vital cardiac diagnostics are both affordable and accessible to the common person. Since the inception of this service, more than 35 patients have already availed themselves of the ECG testing facility at both locations. According to the scheduled arrangements, heart specialists are providing consultations and conducting examinations at Premnagar CHC every Wednesday and at Raipur CHC every Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. This system is not only benefiting people from the rural hinterlands but is also instrumental in de-congesting the major medical hubs of the city.
For the residents of the Pachhwadun and Parvadun regions, this facility represents a major healthcare milestone as they no longer need to travel long distances to city-based tertiary hospitals for heart-related ailments.
Neeraj Prasad Dabral, a resident of Jogiwala who visited the centre for his mother’s treatment, lauded the initiative and remarked that the arrangement is proving to be immensely beneficial for the underprivileged and those living in far-flung areas. He noted that the doctors examined his mother and conducted an ECG, the reports for which were received promptly. Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Manoj Sharma stated that three successful OPD sessions have been conducted at the Premnagar Community Health Centre so far in collaboration with specialists from Wellmed Hospital.
He further mentioned that the public feedback to the development has been overwhelmingly positive, with specialist consultations already provided to over 100 patients. At the Raipur Community Health Centre, cardiologist Dr Nilesh Chandra Pandey from Wellmed Hospital confirmed that three OPD cycles have been successfully completed with an encouraging response from rural patients. He expressed confidence that as awareness regarding these local specialist services grows, the number of beneficiaries will see a steady rise. The cardiologist emphasised that alongside expert medical advice and treatment plans, the provision of on-site ECG testing remains a cornerstone of this rural health outreach programme, ensuring that cardiac issues are detected and managed timely without financial strain on the patients.
