CUTTACK: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday inaugurated a centre of excellence (CoE) in pulmonary medicine at SCB Medical College and Hospital (SCB MCH). The CoE will function as nodal centre for post-Covid management.
The centre constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 12 crore houses asthma, COPD, lungs cancer, ILD and smoking cessation clinics apart from outdoor and indoor departments for non-tuberculosis chest diseases.
Head of the department Prof Manoranjan Pattnaik said since the State government has declared SCB as nodal centre for post-Covid management, high quality health rehabilitation service will be provided by the CoE.
Besides seven cabins and an OT, the centre has a 13-bed negative pressure Intensive Care Unit with provision of dialysis to make the zone free from different viruses and bacteria to save healthcare workers from infection, he said.
The centre will be the first in eastern India to have an endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) machine with radial probe facility for diagnosis of lungs cancer and other lungs diseases. Similarly, polysomnography (PSG) machine for diagnosis of sleep-related respiratory diseases has been installed, he added.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has signed agreement with the department to carry out research activities on different respiratory diseases at the centre for 10 years. Pulmonary rehabilitation will also be available for post-Covid management and other chronic respiratory diseases.
The Medical Council of India (MCI) has permitted for opening of two seats in DM in Pulmonary Medicine course which will be managed by the centre. This will cater to the state-of-the-art healthcare and quality research in the field of respiratory medicine for the people of eastern India.
“We have also applied for providing respiratory therapy course from the CoE,” said Prof Pattnaik.