SRINAGAR, April 19: Cardiac catheterisation laboratories (cath labs) inaugurated in Jammu and Kashmir’s Government Medical Colleges (GMCs) are increasingly becoming non-functional due to critical shortages in human resources and inadequate Intensive Care Unit (ICU) backups, undermining the region’s efforts to bolster cardiac healthcare.
Information was available with The Chenab Times indicating that despite the successive administrations highlighting the establishment of new cath labs as a marker of improved healthcare, the absence of essential personnel, including cardiologists, technicians, and nurses, coupled with a lack of robust ICU support, has rendered these advanced medical facilities largely ineffective.
During the recent Assembly session, the administration announced the commissioning of two new cath labs, one each at GMC Doda and GMC Baramulla, with the stated aim of strengthening cardiac care in underserved areas. These additions were seen as a crucial step, particularly for regions like Doda, Kupwara, and others situated far from Srinagar, where functioning cath labs are already limited.
However, a closer examination reveals a persistent systemic issue. The newly installed, high-end equipment is hampered by chronic staff shortages across key roles. This includes a deficit of cardiologists, skilled cath lab technicians, and dedicated nursing staff. Furthermore, the availability of ICU beds or minimal ICU backups is often insufficient to manage post-procedural complications, and referral pathways remain fragmented.
Sources indicate that a clear policy for procedural delegation and responsibility within these cath labs is also absent. Consequently, patients often lose valuable time seeking critical cardiac interventions at hospitals that face operational constraints due to these deficiencies. The fundamental understanding that a cath lab is not merely equipment but a comprehensive 24/7 system involving trained specialists, paramedical staff, post-procedure intensive care, and streamlined protocols appears to be overlooked in the region’s healthcare planning.
GMC Anantnag’s cath lab, commissioned in April 2025, is reportedly operating with an insufficient number of staff, many of whom are on deputation. Despite performing over 3000 procedures, including primary angioplasties, the cath-lab-specific technicians and nursing staff function under an ad-hoc framework. The facility also faces spatial constraints, making complex procedures more challenging.
Adding to the crisis, the sole cath lab at SMHS Hospital in Srinagar, a major emergency facility handling approximately 5000 patients daily, remains defunct. While a cath lab was established at the nearby Super Specialty Hospital (SSH), it was subsequently shut down because the number of trained cardiology staff and technicians was insufficient to maintain even one functioning unit. Patients in critical condition often face arduous journeys, first to SMHS Hospital for evaluation and then transferred to SSH for interventional procedures, a process that can result in the loss of crucial heart muscle due to delays.
At GMC Baramulla, described as North Kashmir’s primary tertiary care center, widespread vacancies persist across departments, impacting its ability to support advanced cardiac care. The absence of MRI or cath lab capacity, compounded by human resource deficiencies, makes the demand for a functional cath lab at this facility seem unfeasible for many medical professionals.
Publicly available guidelines detailing which cardiac procedures should be performed at specific centers, by whom, and under what referral protocols are lacking in Jammu and Kashmir. Globally, the experience of a cardiologist is a key consideration for permitting them to perform procedures, a practice that needs institutionalization for complex interventions like primary PCI and pacemaker insertions. The current fragmented approach with ambiguous patient pathways increases the risk to lives.
While the Health and Medical Education Minister has acknowledged the healthcare delivery crisis and assured that all GMC hospitals, including SMHS, would eventually have functional cath labs with separate funding, health activists and experts argue that such announcements without simultaneous recruitment and retention of permanent faculty, specialized technicians, cardiac nurses, and adequate ICU/HDU beds are insufficient steps towards genuine healthcare improvement.
The Chenab Times News Desk