Malkangiri: A total of 1,398 critical patients from remote areas of Malkangiri district received free specialist and super-specialist treatment under the Mukhyamantri Bayu Swasthya Seva Yojana (MBSSY) during a medical camp at the district headquarters hospital from August 18 to 21. According to officials, 260 patients were treated in cardiology, 415 in neurology, 263 in gastroenterology, 229 in endocrinology, 231 in nephrology and six underwent laparoscopic surgery.
In addition, 130 patients underwent ECG tests and 59 performed endoscopy. The camp was conducted by a team of specialists and consultants from Sriram Chandra Bhanja Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. The team included Dr Kaibalya Ranjan Dash, assistant professor of gastroenterology; Dr Aujjwalya Kumar Jena, assistant professor of neurology; Dr Aruna Acharya, professor of nephrology; Dr Ranjan Kumar Mohanty, assistant professor of cardiology; Dr Bijay Kumar Sahoo, assistant professor of endocrinology; Dr Jyotirmaya Nayak, associate professor of surgery; and Dr Raj Mahapatra, assistant professor of anaesthesia at PGIMER Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar. They were assisted by senior doctors Dr Dhirej Kumar Lenka (nephrology), Dr Sanghamitra Sahoo (neurology), Dr Sitakanta Panda (endocrinology) and Dr Avansh Taunk (cardiology). The assisting team arrived a day in advance to take patient histories and prepare them for clinical interventions. An ICU with modern equipment was set up at the hospital ahead of the camp to support diagnostic tests, procedures and treatment.
Local residents expressed satisfaction over the initiative. “Such high-level treatment for us in a remote rural area surrounded by hills and forests, which we could never dream of, has become a reality under the leadership of the Chief Minister,” said several patients after their discharge.