The State is a game changer and not just a trend-setter in providing healthcare to citizens, said Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar.
The Minister, who commissioned the advanced 4K 3D and robotic visualisation technology to assist neurosurgery at Kauvery Hospital on Wednesday, said former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had always urged her colleagues to compare healthcare facilities and provisions in the State with those in the developed world.
“We are encouraging both public and private sector hospitals to upgrade their facilities. Accuracy in diagnosis is very important. In a few days, we will have linear accelerators worth ₹24 crore at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and at the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai,” he said.
The new facilities in Kauvery Hospital, empanelled to provide treatment under the Chief Minister’s Health Insurance Scheme, should also serve the poorest of the poor, he urged. “Handling the brain is an art, and excising tumours without damaging the neighbouring cells requires much skill,” Dr. Vijaya Baskar said.
The hospital’s executive director Aravindan Selvaraj said a dedicated team of skilled specialists had enabled it to launch an advanced neurosurgery centre.
It has installed a 3D microscope and a robotic surgical device to improve safety, precision and quality of outcome, and reduce surgical time and infection. The specialists propose to treat brain and spine tumours using high-end endoscopic procedures, Dr. Aravindan said.
Special invitee Air Marshall S. Varthaman compared precision in excising tumours to the Balakot surgical strike by the Indian military.
“The whole world talked about collateral when we struck Balakot after the Pulwama terrorist attack. The soldiers were told to go deep into Pakistan hit Balakot, but hit only the terrorists. No collaterals please. If you hit a single Pakistani it is an attack on the nation. The soldiers did exactly that — precision attack, successful attack,” he said.
