The Delhi Government informed the Assembly on Tuesday that 218 deaths were recorded in the cardiology department of the Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital (RGSSH) in the last two years.
Out of the total deaths, 101 were those patients who had undergone stent implantation and angiography procedures, the health department of the Delhi Government informed in a written response to a question.
The department also said a committee was set up recently to probe deaths that have taken place in the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) of the facility. According to the response, based on data from the medical record department and the cardiology department, 70 deaths took place in 2020 and 148 fatalities in 2021.
Out of these 218 deaths in the last two years, recorded in the cardiology department of RGSSH, 101 were those patients who had "undergone stent implantation (PTCA) and angiography procedures (CAG)", it said. Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) is a minimally invasive procedure to open blocked or stenosed coronary arteries allowing unobstructed blood flow to the myocardium. Angiography or Coronary Angiogram (CAG) is a process where X-rays are used to study the condition of blood vessels in the arms, chest, or head. According to the data, till March 7 this year, 17 patients had died in the cardiology department of the facility, who had undergone procedures like PTCA and CAG.
In response to another question, the Delhi health department said stents are not being purchased at RGSSH, but they were being used on an "imprest basis" on contractual rate pertaining to GP Pant Hospital.
An associate professor of cardiology, who was working on contractual basis at the Delhi Government-run hospital, had been "terminated" from service after the death of three patients with heart blockage earlier this month, officials had said recently.
He was sacked on orders from the Delhi Secretariat, a senior official had said. Action against the doctor was initiated on March 10 before a four-member committee which was set up to review the matter, officials had said. Also, in response to another question, it said.