[ Taba Ajum ]
ITANAGAR, Aug 21: For the first time in the state, doctors of Heema Hospital here implanted a dual-chamber cardiac pacemaker in a patient on Tuesday, after a two-hour surgery.
Dr Rinchin Dorjee Megeji, super-specialist in cardiology, along with senior anaesthetist Dr Genya Zirdo performed the surgery and successfully implanted the pacemaker. The patient, who is 51 years old, hails from West Siang district.
This landmark achievement is expected to immensely benefit people suffering from heart dysfunction.
“This is for the first time in the state that we have implanted a pacemaker. Now our people will not need to go outside the state for such treatment. By availing this facility here, the cost of the whole procedure will get reduced by more than 70%. It will especially aid poor people who earlier could not afford to go outside state for such treatment,” said Dr Megeji, who is the only person from the state to have earned a doctorate in medicine (DM) in cardiology from the NEIGRIHMS.
Dr Megeji informed that it took one month to plan the whole surgery.
“The patient, who is a farmer, was facing problems in breathing when walking. When we told him that he could get treatment in Itanagar itself, he expressed interest. It took at least a month to arrange the whole thing. The most difficult part was arranging infrastructure and logistics. But we have made a humble beginning, and hopefully, in future we will have a full-fledged cardiology department with all required infrastructure,” said Dr Megeji.
He said the patient is doing well and should be able to go home within the next few days.
Commenting on why no such procedure was carried out in the state earlier, Dr Megeji, who is the state’s lone cardiologist, said it was because there was no cardiologist in the state before, and also because of the absence of a full-fledged cardiology department with CAT lab, full-fledged ICU, logistic and technical support, etc, in hospitals across the state. These are things which are an imperative when in comes to undertaking cardio-related procedures.
Terming the cardio facility in Heema Hospital a boon for the people of the state, Dr Megeji said patients with electrical problem of the heart who have already undergone such procedure can also get their re-checkups done here if they want to.
Heema Hospital CMD Dr Byabang Rana termed the successful implant of the pacemaker a proud moment for the state.
“Henceforth people with heart ailment will get treatment here in the state itself. This will hopefully benefit the poor and needy people. Also, in Dr Rinchin Dorjee Megeji, we have our own son of the soil who is now serving the people of the state,” said Dr Rana.
He urged the state government to play a lead role in improving the health care facilities in the state.
“The private organizations, within our own limits, are trying our best to provide the best health care facilities to the people of the state at minimum costs. The larger government hospitals should lead us and improve their facilities,” added Dr Rana.
A pacemaker is a medical device that generates electrical impulses delivered through electrodes to contract the heart muscle and regulate the conducting system of the heart. It is part of interventional cardiology, and involves minimal surgery.
The pacemaker is implanted under the skin, and the electrodes are placed on the right side of the heart (right ventricle and right atrium). The procedure is indicated in those patients suffering from heart dysfunction such as heart block or slow heartbeats.
