Jayadeva Institute’s new director proposes five satellite centres under GBA to boost emergency cardiac care

The Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research is considering starting Jayadeva Satellite Centres within the jurisdiction of the five municipal corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) in a bid to provide emergency treatment for cardiac patients. A proposal in this regard will be submitted to the State government, said the Institute’s new director B. Dinesh.

Addressing his maiden press conference in the Institute on Thursday, he noted that with a population of nearly 1.75 crore, the main Jayadeva Institute in Bengaluru is finding it difficult to handle the patient load. “Post-COVID, the number of people visiting the hospital with cardiac-related concerns has increased significantly. Patients traveling from distant corners of the city risk their lives during transit. Hence, there is a need to establish satellite centres within the GBA’s five municipal areas. This can be on the lines of similar Jayadeva centres functioning in ESI Model Hospital in Rajajinagar (with 75 beds) and K.C. General Hospital in Malleswaram (with 50 beds),” he said.

Golden hour

These centres will help provide treatment to cardiac patients within the “golden hour” and reduce the burden on the main institute, thereby easing patient management. “The proposal is to set up 100-bed satellite centres in each of the five municipal zones, with facilities for both outpatient and inpatient treatment. Currently, some hospitals within the BBMP limits are not fully functional. If they are handed over to Jayadeva, they can be converted into dedicated cardiac centres. Discussions will be held in this regard with the Medical Education Minister,” he said.

Although the Institute has built two dormitories to accommodate attendants of patients, it has not been possible to accommodate all attendants due to the high inpatient numbers. “We are planning a multi-storey building near the Infosys block for housing attendants. With outpatient visits touching 2,000 daily, the hospital faces a 15% staff shortage, which will be addressed in consultation with authorities,” he said.

Plans are under way to start cardiac screening kiosks at metro and bus stations for quick detection of heart ailments. In a bid to keep treatment affordable, the Institute will adopt robotic surgery technology, with specialist doctors receiving the required training. “A proposal for robotic technology adoption has already been submitted to the government,” Dr. Dinesh said.