Kathmandu, January 4

Shahid Gangalal National Heart Centre, Bansbari, is preparing to upgrade its services.

The hospital is planning to add 20 more beds in the emergency ward, which currently has only 18 beds. It is also preparing to instal additional equipment necessary for treatment of cardiac diseases. “The building that we are currently using for emergency and outpatient services is small and we are unable to handle the flow of patients to the hospital. We are therefore constructing a new building to expand our services,” said Ram Acharya, public relations officer at the hospital.

Sixty per cent of construction work for the new building has already been completed, according to Acharya. As many as 40 patients visit the emergency ward of the hospital every day. The hospital plans to bring the new building into operation from August.

Along with the construction of the new building, the hospital is also planning to instal a 640-slice computed tomography (CT) scanner in the hospital.

“The new system can accommodate larger number of patients with its 78 cm bore and fast rotation. One scan can acquire the whole volume of the heart, so no image stitching is required. Charges will be minimal for CT scan services,” added Acharya. The new CT scan machine will be installed in the hospital within two months. The hospital has been providing specialist care in the field of cardiology and cardiac surgery.