Waiting time for heart-related tests likely to reduce in Sion Hospital

Patients visiting the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMCrun Lokmanya Tilak General Hospital and Medical College in Sion for heartrelated tests will get a major relief from the availability of new 2D Cardiography and Colour Doppler machines the civic body said on Thursday in an official statementTwo lsquo2D Cardiography and Colour Dopplerrsquo machines have been made available from the MPLAD Members of Parliament Local Area Development Division fund of former Rajya Sabha lawmaker Dr Kumar Ketkar the statement readThe availability of the machines will help in reducing the waiting period for testing of patients related to heart disease The plant in the Department of Cardiology was inaugurated on Thursday by Ketkar said BMCDr Mohan Joshi and Dr Pratap Nathani from the hospitals Department of Cardiology were also present at the inaugurationOn an average 100 to 150 patients are examined daily at the cardiology department The newly available plants will enable more daytoday ecotests These machines will be useful for testing of heart disease heart attack heart valve disease and cataract BMC saidOne of the available 2D Cardiography and Colour Doppler plants will be kept for the Intensive Care Unit ICU The Mumbai civic body stated that with the availability of these plants it will be possible to provide immediate treatment to the patients admitted for heart diseasesTransesophageal Echo ProbeThe Mumbai civic body in its statement also highlighted that a Transesophageal Echo Probe has been made available along with the plant for diagnosis in very complex tests related to heart disorders With this advanced technology it is possible to test the back of the heart BMC said It will also be possible to conduct 3D Echo TransEsophageal Echo etc tests at affordable prices and the process will reduce the waiting time of patients for testingIn its official release the Mumbai civic body also mentioned that these units will be an important part of the academic curriculum for resident doctors studying cardiology at Lokmanya Tilak Medical College These plants will be useful in medical education as well as in healthcareBMC Budget 2025 More beds clinics and PPP model in Rs 738044 crore health budgetBMC has announced an ambitious Rs 738044 crore health budget for the financial year 202526 making up around 10 per cent of the total civic budget of Rs 7442741 crore With a focus on improving healthcare accessibility and infrastructure the budget aims to expand hospital capacities introduce new medical initiatives and enhance public health programmes For the fiscal year 202526 Rs 520770 crore has been earmarked for operational healthcare expenses Revenue Budget while Rs 217273 crore is designated for capital investment in healthcare infrastructureldquoWith a robust budgetary allocation and strategic expansion of healthcare services BMCrsquos 202526 Health Budget aims to make Mumbairsquos public health system more accessible affordable and efficient From expanding hospital capacities to introducing cuttingedge medical programmes we are taking significant strides towards universal healthcare coverage for all Mumbaikarsrdquo said BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani Bed capacity expansionMumbai currently has 15302 beds in government hospitals and 31076 beds in private hospitals As part of BMCrsquos hospital redevelopment plan an additional 3515 beds will be added bringing the total bed availability to 49893 ldquoTo cater to the rising suburban population speciality and superspeciality services will be expanded with a focus on ICU and neonatal care through private sector partnershipsrdquo Gagrani saidlsquoAapla Dawakhanarsquo initiativeThe Hinduhridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Aapla Dawakhana network BMCrsquos flagship initiative offering free medical consultation medicines and diagnostic services claims to have significantly benefited 90 lakh patients so far Currently there are 250 Aapla Dawakhana centres including 33 polyclinics and diagnostic centres BMC plans to add 25 more centres and establish three new physiotherapy centres in the next financial yearThese centres provide free consultations from specialists such as ENT doctors gynaecologists paediatricians dermatologists and ophthalmologists along with affordable diagnostic services like Xrays mammography ECG CT scans and MRIs through a voucher system with private labs ldquoAdditionally mobile clinics have been introduced in remote areas like Aarey Colony and MEast wardrdquo Gagrani saidPublicPrivate PartnershipldquoTo enhance healthcare accessibility while reducing operational costs BMC is implementing a PPP model Under this initiative private institutions will be invited for longterm operation and maintenance of hospitals and health centres This model aims to minimise outofpocket expenses for patients while ensuring sustainable healthcare operationsrdquo Gagrani said