Authorities of the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH), the largest state-run referral hospital in this region, are installing certain machines in the cardiology department to provide better treatment to patients.

“We are installing the treadmill and Holter monitor machines which are vital for cardiac diagnosis. Once operational, these machines will help in better diagnosis and effective treatment of a significant number of cardiac patients,” said a source at the facility located at Susrutanagar on the outskirts of Siliguri.

While the treadmill is used to conduct a stress test to evaluate the heart’s response to exercise, the Holter monitor records the heart’s electrical activity over a period of time. Both these machines are used to diagnose heart ailments, including abnormal cardiac rhythms.

So far, these tests have not been conducted at the department. Patients have to visit private clinics or labs to get them done.

Sources in the NBMCH said both the machines were available with the authorities for quite some time. “But there was a delay in installation due to paucity of space. As the intensive coronary care unit and indoor services of the cardiology unit have been recently shifted to the super-specialty block, there is adequate space now to operate these machines,” said the source.

Sanjay Mallick, the medical superintendent-cum-vice-principal of the NBMCH, said they had taken the initiative to get a portable cardiac catheterisation lab or cath lab.

“This cath lab will enable doctors and technicians at the cardiology department to provide more comprehensive cardiac care to the patients,” he said.

The cath lab is used to conduct tests on the heart, including the flow of blood through arteries and veins, through a minimally invasive procedure.

Mallick said that in the NBMCH, they would soon start providing an advanced modern pacemaker, the Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy Pacemakers or CRTP, to patients who need it.

“These facilities will largely help the population across north Bengal to get advanced cardiac treatment at minimal costs,” he added.