Coimbatore: Health minister Ma Subramanian on Wednesday inaugurated a PET-CT scan machine worth 12 crore at the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) for accurate identification of cancer cells in patients.
He also inaugurated an optical coherence tomography (OCT) machine in the cardiology department at CMCH that was installed at a cost of 1.5 crore.
He said the PET-CT scan facility was once available only in private hospitals. “But the state government is now providing the facility in government hospitals as well. New technologies like this are being adopted to provide better medical care for common people under the chief minister’s health insurance scheme.”
He said the Cath Lab that was set up in CMCH had recorded 10,000 angio procedures in five years, saving many lives.
Subramanian said the work on the buildings funded by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) at CMCH was nearing completion and would be ready by December. “Steps to install medical equipment and beds will be taken immediately after the completion of construction work.”
On the proposed 708 urban health and wellness centres, of which 72 were allocated for Coimbatore, he said 500 of them were completed in the first phase and inaugurated by the chief minister. “Forty-nine of them are in Coimbatore.”
The minister also inaugurated hi-tech gadgets in the paediatric ward of Mettupalayam government hospital and the siddha and naturopathy division at the Somanur primary health centre in the district.
Later, he participated in a function at the GEM Hospital to mark 20 years of bariatric surgery. Subramanian appreciated the hospital for leading the way in the field of gastroenterology and laparoscopy and successfully performing more than 250 bariatric surgeries free of cost under the chief minister’s insurance scheme.
At the event, the minister launched the department of obesity cure and diabetes cure, a holistic multidisciplinary department for treating obesity and reverse diabetes without the need for medicines or surgery, at the hospital.
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