Cuttack: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday dedicated nine Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) machines at SCB Medical College and Hospital here.
“The state government will bear all expenses and facilitate ECMO treatment to all critical COVID patients at SCB for free. We have to remain more cautious to battle the third wave,” the CM said.
This is the first government hospital in the state to have this life-saving facility and the largest unit in the eastern part of India.
The government decided to procure these machines and set up a full-fledged unit at SCB after the need for this advanced clinical intervention went up significantly amid a rise in COVID cases, forcing patients to be airlifted to other centres outside the state.
The ECMO machines help in treating patients whose lungs are completely damaged due to COVID.
“These machines will be operated under the supervision of SCB cardiovascular and thoracic surgery department,” said SCB emergency officer Bhuban Maharana.
Earlier in the day, six BJP workers, who were allegedly planning to launch a protest over the CM’s visit, were taken into preventive custody by police.
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