THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Although the agencies have stopped the supply of cardiac surgery materials including stents to government hospitals, the doctors are ignoring the company that still provides the materials without delay. Doctors are ignoring Medtronic, a company in Ireland that delivers the goods directly.
Even though the government has to pay crores of dues to them, the withdrawal of suppliers has not affected them as the company supplies the goods directly. It is reported that doctors are not promoting their materials as the commission they give is less than other agencies. This company is providing Stent, Catheter, Balloon, Pacemaker etc. at the Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhathi rates set by the government.
All hospitals including medical colleges have Medtronic’s products in stock. The company is also ready to deliver on request. Medtronic provides supplies 24 hours a day across the state including Thiruvananthapuram Medical College. The publicity that despite all this the stent was out of stock and the surgery was cancelled due to the withdrawal of regular suppliers, caused panic among the poor waiting for the surgery. Many people call the cardiology department daily to inquire whether the surgery will be done.
12 surgeries today in medical college
12 previously scheduled surgeries were performed in two cath labs today in Thiruvananthapuram Medical College. Facilities were also provided for four emergency cases.
Sree Chitra stent in final stage
The stent, developed by the Department of Biomedical Technology at Sree Chitra Institute through years of research, is in its final stages. Animal testing has been completed and a patent has been received. Expressions of Interest are invited for transfer of technology to manufacture stents on an industrial basis. Dr Sujesh Sreedharan, who led the research, said that the company will be selected soon and the technology will be transferred. After completing the human trials and obtaining approvals, it will be brought to the market. The stent is expected to reach the market within two years. The aim is to provide quality stents at low cost. Other team members are Dr ER Jayadevan, Dr M Unnikrishnan and Dr CV Muralidharan. The price will be decided by the company that manufactures the stent.
