Cath lab at Kozhikode beach hospital to resume operations on January 27

Cardiac catheterisation lab at Government General Hospital, Kozhikode to resume after payment dues settled with distributors.

The functioning of the cardiac catheterisation lab (cath lab), where minimally invasive tests and procedures such as angiogram and angioplasty are performed, at the Government General Hospital, Kozhikode, is expected to resume on Monday (January 27).

This follows talks between representatives of surgical device distributors and senior Health department officials, deputed by Health Minister Veena George, on Saturday (January 25). The distributors had stopped the supply of stents and other devices to the hospital in April last year after their payment dues reportedly reached around ₹3 crore. The facility has not been functioning since July 2024.

During Saturday’s talks, it was decided to release ₹50 lakh of the pending dues from the State Health Agency, which manages government health insurance schemes. The remaining payment is expected to get cleared in the coming weeks. The distributors told the officials that the supply would be resumed from Monday.

Meanwhile, Health department officials, led by E. Bijoy, State coordinator of the National Health Mission, have completed their two-day inspection at the hospital. Ms. George deputed the team to explore the possibilities of restarting the cath lab. The hospital authorities had earlier claimed that the delay in release of funds from the government for the surgeries and procedures conducted under the ‘Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhathi’ was the prime reason for the pending dues to the distributors of surgical devices. Sources said that Dr. Bijoy would submit a report on the visit to the department soon.