Kathmandu, January 12:

Norvic Escorts International Hospital today launched ‘Mission: Save Heart Cardiac Care Ambulance’, the country’s first Cardiac Care Mobile CCU that provides instant treatment from the time the patient is picked up till the patient reaches hospital.

The ambulance is equipped with all life-saving equipment — defibrillator, cardiac monitor, ventilator, suction machine, oxygen- accompanied with a cardiac doctor, nursing staff and attendants to provide instant treatment to the patient picked up. “This kind of service ensures that heart patients don’t lose crucial time,” said Dr Bharat Rawat, chief cardiologist at the hospital.

He said that the hospital has offered the facility free of charge within five-kilometre radius of the hospital for the time being. “We want to see how the people would respond to it and then we might decide whether to make it a free service forever,” he said.

Shiva Dutta Upadhya, a 76-year-old bypass cardiac patient, who has been actively involved in the activities of social welfare, unveiled the ambulance. Upadhya had undergone ‘definitive cardiac therapy’ in the hospital initially and got his bypass treatment from India. “I am honoured to have this opportunity and more delighted to know that heart patients will receive the care when it is needed,” he said.

According to RP Mainali, public relation officer, the hospital has already carried out cerebral, renal, artery as well as peripheral surgery related to heart diseases in the past. “Our success rate of operation is above international standards,” he claimed.