Patients suffer due to lack of MRI, Cath lab facilities at GMC Anantnag

Srinagar, Sept 22: Patients from various parts of South Kashmir continue to travel to Srinagar for MRI and Cath Lab services, which are still unavailable at GMC Anantnag, the largest tertiary care facility in the region.
Patients have long struggled due to the lack of these essential facilities and they are forced to travel to hospitals in Srinagar for MRI scans and Cath Lab services, causing significant inconvenience.
“Patients are left with no choice but to use private diagnostic centers, which many cannot afford,” said Mushtaq Ahmad, a resident of Anantnag.
He urged the authorities to expedite the process, emphasizing that providing these facilities locally is a humanitarian necessity that should not be compromised.
Patients said that the lack of this crucial facility forces patients suffering from both minor and major heart attacks to be referred to hospitals in Srinagar, causing potentially life-threatening delays.
As per doctors, the lab is crucial for performing primary angioplasty, a procedure to clear blocked arteries, which is often the cause of heart attacks.
“If a Cath Lab were available at GMC Anantnag, it could improve the chances of survival for heart attack patients by enabling timely diagnosis and treatment,” they said.
The Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag is set to receive two critical diagnostic facilities, a Cath Lab and MRI machine, which are expected to significantly improve healthcare services in southern Kashmir.
Principal GMC Anantnag, Dr Rukhsana Najeeb said the Cath lab which is being imported from the USA will be one of the first such state of the art labs in Kashmir.
Prof. Najeeb, said the medical college has already allocated space for the Cath Lab, with some modifications required for its installation.
“The construction work is 80% complete, and the remaining tasks, such as electrical wiring, will be finished in the next month or two,” she stated.
She added that the tender for electrical and wiring works will be floated once the code of conduct for the upcoming Assembly Elections is lifted, which may take some time.
Additionally, Prof. Rukhsana confirmed that the college will acquire an MRI machine within six months, with the process already underway. Plans are also in place to establish a dedicated emergency section equipped with comprehensive diagnostic services.