AIIMS Gorakhpur director falls ill, referred to private hospital for treatment

AIIMS Gorakhpur Executive Director Major General (retired) Vibha Dutta was referred to a private hospital for cardiac evaluation after developing health complications, as the institute's Cath Lab is not yet operational.

In Short

• AIIMS Gorakhpur Executive Director referred to private hospital for cardiac check-up
• Pacemaker not required, patient stable and discharged same day
• Cath Lab at AIIMS Gorakhpur not yet operational causing referral

AIIMS Gorakhpur Executive Director Major General (retired) Vibha Dutta in Uttar Pradesh was referred to a private hospital for a cardiac evaluation on Wednesday after developing health complications, as the institute's Cath Lab is yet to become operational.

Doctors initially treated her at the emergency department of AIIMS Gorakhpur, where her condition stabilised before she was shifted to a private facility equipped with a Cath Lab as a precaution.

Dutta was taken to the private hospital at around 5 pm to determine whether she needed a pacemaker. Doctors examined her and found that a pacemaker was not required. She returned home by 8 pm.

A senior AIIMS doctor, who spoke to news agency Press Trust of India (PTI) on condition of anonymity, said Dutta's condition had stabilised after the initial treatment at AIIMS Gorakhpur. The doctor added that she was now healthy and had been shifted to the private hospital only for further evaluation as a precaution.

The incident has brought attention to the unavailability of Cath Lab services at AIIMS Gorakhpur, particularly as the institute's own executive director had to undergo a cardiac evaluation at a private facility.

Days after the incident, AIIMS Gorakhpur said nearly 70 per cent of the work required to make its Cath Lab operational had been completed. The institute said the necessary medical equipment and machinery were in the process of delivery and expected to arrive shortly.

"Nearly 70 per cent of the work related to the initiation of Cath Lab services has already been completed, and the necessary medical equipment and machinery are in the process of delivery and are expected to arrive very soon," the institute said on Friday.

The institute added that it was working to complete the remaining requirements and make the advanced cardiac care facility operational at the earliest. A senior AIIMS doctor told PTI that the Cath Lab was expected to become operational by December.

Once operational, the facility will provide patients from Gorakhpur, other districts of Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring states access to advanced cardiac investigations and procedures, including angiography and angioplasty, closer to their homes.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for AIIMS Gorakhpur on July 22, 2016, under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana. The project received a major boost in 2017 after Yogi Adityanath became the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, with construction-related hurdles resolved quickly.

PM Modi inaugurated the institute's Out Patient Department on February 24, 2019, and the full institution on December 7, 2021.

The institute is now working to complete the remaining requirements for its Cath Lab, which will strengthen its cardiac care infrastructure once operational.

- Ends
With PTI inputs.