Calcutta Heart Clinic & Hospital inaugurated a cath lab on September 8. The date was significant as it marked the beginning of the year-long golden jubilee celebration of the society that runs the Sector III hospital.

There was another significant announcement made of a new hospital. “Our second campus will be on a three-bigha plot in the Kolkata Leather Complex thana area. It should be up in two or three years and will begin operations with a general department,” board president Prof Dhrubajyoti Mukhopadhyay said at a press meet held ahead of the jubilee curtain-raiser.

The ceremony on Sunday began with a minute of silence to mourn the tragedy at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. After that, several doctors invited on the occasion shared good wishes for the team.

Humble beginnings

“The society was registered in 1975 by Dr Nani Guha, a freedom -fighter who earned his medical degree after being released from jail in 1945. Post-independence, Dr Guha realised that the country’s healthcare system was severely lacking and resigned as head of the chest department at Calcutta National Medical College to start this society with a hospital at his own home near Park Circus,” said honorary secretary of the board, Dr Kisan Pradhan.

Later, the society bought land in Salt Lake’s HC Block, and the foundation stone of the hospital was laid in 1986 by the then-chief minister Jyoti Basu. It opened in 1988, Dr Guha passed away in 1991, but the hospital’s governing body has continued his vision.

“I came across a speech Dr Guha had made at the inauguration in 1986, where he mentioned that they were then focused on general medicine, but that they would one day conduct cardio-thoracic surgeries here,” smiled Dr Samanta. “We are so proud to have realised his dream.” Among the host of doctors at the event was Dr A.B. Dutta, the only surviving founder member of the hospital.

Vital addition

A catheterisation or cath lab is a specialised facility where doctors perform minimally invasive procedures to diagnose and treat cardiovascular conditions. Equipped with advanced imaging technology, it provides real-time, X-ray-like images of the heart, blood vessels etc. In this lab, neurological cases can also be examined.

“A cath lab is a crucial part of a cardiac hospital. Since we didn’t have one thus far, we could only offer emergency treatment to patients suffering from acute heart attacks, and many would have to shift elsewhere for further care. That won’t be necessary anymore,” said Dr Alok Mazumdar, the director of the cath lab.

The lab spans nearly 3,000sq feet and includes a console room with monitors to track patient readings, as well as a pre- and post-procedure room with six beds. Ancillary rooms are also attached. The facility has been set up at Rs 5 crore, including a three-year annual maintenance contract. It was funded and inaugurated by Prof Dr Sisir Kanti Chattopadhyay and named after his late wife, Chhaya Chattopadhyay. Both have been obstetricians and gynecologists.

Sisir Chattopadhyay, a 90-year-old resident of BF Block, was reticent but others happily shared his long association with the hospital. “Years ago, Sisirbabu used to cycle around the area and once saw a wing of our building under construction. He came up to us and asked how much we needed,” shared Dr Ashok Samanta, treasurer of the board and medical director of the hospital.

“Back then we hesitated to even ask anyone for Rs 500, so Dr Pradhan asked Sisirbabu to donate whatever he felt right. The latter wrote Rs 500 on a cheque, but kept adding so many zeros to it that it left Dr Pradhan trembling!” Samanta shared with the chuckling audience. “Sisirbabu’s only condition was to stay anonymous.”

It was his wife, Dr Chhaya Chattopadhyay, who made the first donation of Rs 1 crore for the cath lab, though she later passed away from Covid at this very hospital. “They specifically wanted to help us get this lab. Despite Sisirbabu wanting to stay behind the scenes, we requested him to attend today’s opening,” added Dr Samanta.

Golden plans

The hospital unveiled a new logo and tagline for the jubilee celebrations: “We care from heart”, and over the next year, until September 8, 2025, have planned a series of seminars, free health camps, cultural events, and lectures in memory of Dr Guha and the immediate past president Dr Sushil Kumar Mukherjee.

Doctors’ Day and International Nurses Day will be observed by inviting past and current doctors and nurses and they also plan to open a modular operating theatre in January, which will significantly reduce risk of infection, particularly for cardio, neuro, and orthopaedic surgeries.

“Today we are a multi-speciality hospital with modern facilities, affordable rates, and a human touch. We are non-commercial so profits are ploughed back into the hospital. Our disaster management team rushes to help of victims of tsunamis, cyclones, and floods and we treat patients as family and not clients,” added board president Mukhopadhyay..