HBS Hospital’s Frontier Heart & Lung Centre
A New Specialty Unit for Heart and Lung care
The Frontier Heart & Lung Center of HBS Hospital, Shivajinagar, is the first of its kind specialty unit set up by the Muslim community in Bangalore. To date, no less than 180 heart surgeries have been carried out here and that too, within just seven months of the Centre’s inception – quite possibly, a record of sorts, in itself.
The Centre which was inaugurated in June 2014 is today delivering world-class heart and lung care at affordable prices to all. The Center is the brainchild of Dr. Tanveer Ahmed Khan, Dr. Fiyaz Chowdhry and Dr. Mohammed Rehan Sayeed who are well-trained cardio-thoracic surgeons. Together they have a rich experience of around 15,000 cases covering the entire spectrum of cardiovascular thoracic surgery. The Center is a 30-bed state-of-the-art unit with cardiac post-operative ICU and Coronary Care unit. The Operation Theater is well-equipped to do all keyhole heart surgeries and has a Cath Lab that can handle all requirements in cardio procedure. The doctors have special expertise in video-assisted heart and lung surgeries.
It will be quite in context to point out here that Dr. Mohammed Rehan Sayeed is a pioneer in Minimal Access Cardiac surgery and Endoscopic Heart Surgery in India. He has developed the Mini Bypass surgery procedure for Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG), performed on a beating heart with a six-centimeter incision. His track record exceeding 10,000 surgeries includes over 5,000 lung surgeries with emphasis on Endoscopic Lung Surgery and Tracheal Reconstructive Surgery, and the distinction of performing the first Endoscopic Heart Surgery in South India. A certified Heart Transplant surgeon and a trained Paediatric Cardiac surgeon, Dr. Sayeed was nominated for the Young Innovator Award (ISMICS 2012, Los Angeles). He is actively involved with cutting-edge research in the areas of Totally Endoscopic Bypass Surgery and Hybrid Cardiac Surgery.
A Success in the Professional and Socio-Welfare Domains
Out of a hundred open-heart surgeries carried out at the hospital, 40 were key-hole surgeries. The youngest patient was a four-month old girl while the oldest case was that of a 78-year old man, with both these open-heart procedures proving completely successful. With a Rs.1.25 lakh billing for key-hole surgery, the Centre is about four times cheaper than other hospitals which charge up to Rs. 4.5 lakhs for the same procedure. However, even here, the billing at the Centre is not fixed against the poor patient’s favour, as can be seen by the fact that open-heart surgeries have been carried out for as low as Rs. 80,000/- in some cases.
To be sure, HBS Hospital follows a policy of non-discrimination between patients who can, and cannot, afford the treatment required. With most patients coming to the hospital being daily-wage labourers who live well below the poverty line, the social impact of the Hospital and its Cardiology centre is immense. Understanding its mission in context, the Hospital management often takes it in its stride when some patients excuse themselves from paying-up until after the surgery and then find themselves helpless in settling their bills. Fully aware that such patients would ultimately have to go to pawn-brokers to raise money – on exorbitant interest – for their treatment, the Hospital often waives off the charges due from such underprivileged people.
On the technical side, Dr. Rehan Sayeed advises heart-patients to avoid purchasing mechanical valves. According to him, it is better to repair the existing valve or use animal tissue valves (from cow, horse or pig). With mechanical valves, the patient has to take prescribed medicines till the end of his/ her life. Should the patient fail to take these medicines as prescribed – for whatever reason – his/ her condition will turn critical and eventually prove fatal. Among tissue valves, while that of cow is seen to be the most lasting, pig valve is the least lasting. While a tissue valve costs around Rs. 90,000/-, a mechanical valve costs around Rs. 80,000/-. The FDA valves provided by the Centre come from the United States.
Free Medical Camps
The Frontier Heart & Lung Center of HBS Hospital has conducted free medical camps in Shimoga, Chitradurga, Raichur, Hubli, Channagiri and Tarikere within Karnataka state. Both pre and post operation camps were conducted. 300-400 patients attended each camp. An inherent focus on serving the underprivileged patients from the Muslim community though discernible, the Hospital serves patients from all communities. While most patients coming to the hospital from the Shivajinagar area are Muslims, those attending the Center’s free medical camps are from other communities.
For more information on the HBS Hospital and its Cardiac specialty unit, the Frontier Heart & Lung Centre, please contact: 9448062728 or 080 -25541321.
