Surgeries held up as cardiologist goes vacationing

If you or your relatives have to undergo major interventional cardiology procedures at Sion hospital, be ready to wait for a week.

This is because the senior cardiologist is vacationing. He has instructed other doctors not to perform interventional cardiology procedures such as angioplasty, balloon valvuloplasty (or valvotomy) and pacemaker implants until he resumes work on May 14.

Every day, the hospital performs four to five angioplasty cases on an average. Around 48 patients have been added to the wait list so far.

Dr Ajay Mahajan, associate professor and cardiologist, went on leave on April 23. Department sources said the patients who were lined up for the procedures were told in advance so that they would avoid unnecessary hospital stay.  For the new cases, the department doctors are carrying out only angiographies.

When DNA went to the department for an angioplasty appointment, the doctors at the Cath lab said that they were only taking angiographies. "If the angiography result shows that a patient requires bypass, we direct them to cardio surgery department. If the patient requires an interventional cardiology procedure, we are scheduling it from May 14 when Dr Mahajan returns," said a doctor from cardiology department.

The hospital's cardiology ward, ward number 32, has patients admitted only for angiography.  Krithika G's 45-year-old father is one of them. "We are waiting for the angiography reports. We haven't been told about the next procedure," she said. Five more patients were waiting for the angiography reports.

The doctors from the department are not happy with the delay. "We used to perform the interventional cardiology procedures even in the absence of Dr Mahajan and never had any problem. But now, it seems the senior doesn't have much trust on us," said a doctor from the cardiology department.

The cardiology department at the Sion hospital has a professor, an associate professor, an assistant professor and three lecturers. "The hospital needs to increase the doctors' strength in the department as the workload is huge," said another doctor.

The head of cardiology department, Dr Pratap Nathani, reasons it differently. "It is the patients who prefer Dr Ajay Mahajan. We have to respect it," he said.

Dr Suleman Merchant, the acting dean of LTMG Sion hospital, said: "The matter is serious. We will look into the it and take appropriate action."

Padma Vibhushan Dr BK Goyal, chief cardiologist, Bombay hospital said a department doesn't run on a single person. "When I am not there, my team members conduct the procedures and I am sure Sion hospital has qualified doctors. Angioplasty is important for a patient and can be life-saving."