Former Union Minister Jyodiraditya Scindia and Madhya Pradesh Health Minister Dr Vijay Laxmi Sadho jointly inaugurated the Cath Lab at the JAH Group of Hospitals. The Cath lab is set up at a total cost of Rs 6.75 crores and it took almost ten years for it to take shape. The inaugural ceremony was chaired by the Cabinet Minister Vijay Laxmi Sadho while Cabinet Minister Pradhumun Singh was the Special Guest. MLAs Munnalal Goyal and Praveen Pathak too attended the ceremony.

Speaking on the occasion Scindia said that the state government has been taking many steps to provide better medical facilities to the people of the Gwalior Chambal division. He further opined that the setting up of the Cath lab will lend a unique identity to the largest group of hospitals in the division.

Scindia also said that a super specialty hospital will be constructed in place of the Marc Hospital at Gole Ke Mandir.

The doctors at JAH said that now the hospital has modern equipment that can take up angioplasty, complicated stenting and pacemaker

implants.

However, it is learnt that it will take some more time before the patients can benefit from the lab as the machines to conduct angioplasty, both coronary and peripheral are still in the trial stages. It is also learnt that the contract for the medical equipment to be set up at the Cath lab is only on paper and nothing has yet been finalized. The sources said that the contract has been given to the Amruth Pharmacy but it is only verbal.

Another problem is the costing.  The cost of a single stent at JAH has been fixed at Rs 55,000 which is much above the rate at GB Pant Hospital, New Delhi. The rate at the Delhi hospital is around Rs 25,000 for a single stent. Private hospitals in Gwalior charge anything between Rs 55,000 and 75,000. Unless the hospital authorities bring down the rates the lab might not be a blessing to the people of

the area.