The Medica Group will launch a 100-bed heart hospital in Patna on Saturday.

Medica, which runs a chain of super-speciality hospitals across the country, is the third big private player to invest in health care in Bihar after Paras HMRI and Medanta Group.

While Paras has opened units in Patna and Darbhanga, Medanta has laid the foundation stone of a hospital on seven acres in the city’s Jaiprabha Hospital.

Medica, one of the largest chain of hospitals in eastern India, has taken over the Magadh Hospital in the state capital.

The group has invested Rs 45 crore on revamping the infrastructure of the hospital, said Medica co-founder Ayanabh Debgupta.

Initially, the group is launching the 100-bed Medica Heart Institute but plans are in the offing to develop A 280-bed multi-speciality hospital with specialised wings for gastro-liver diseases, neuroscience and nephrology.

According to Medica officials, apart from hiring reputable doctors from various hospitals, the group will ensure more facilities for the heart patients, including a heart command centre that would keep a tab on heart patients in the districts.

“We are developing infrastructure in the districts,” said Debgupta. “Every district will be linked to the heart command centre that will be based in the Medica Heart Institute. We are tying up with hospitals in the districts.

“Machines will be provided to the district units, which will be connected to a computer. A software will transfer the electronic health records to another computer installed at the heart command centre at Medica Heart Institute.

“All the machines which would be provided at the district hospitals would have a special electronic device to send test reports of patients and transfer it to the computer at the heart command centre. Doctors at the centre would be available 24x7 to guide specialists in the district units for treatment,” said Debgupta.

He said it would take the group at least six months to complete the work on the heart command centre.

“In most of heart problems, the golden hour of treatment is lost because the necessary intervention is not initiated on time. This way we would be able to address the issue,” added Debgupta said.

Among the various facilities that would be introduced by the group is a free ambulance service for heart failure patients, said Medica Heart Institute vice-chairman Prabhat Kumar.

“We are also planning to provide heart care at home,” he added.