H&ME Deptt introduces laser intervention in Pulmonology

Srinagar: With an objective to provide better healthcare facilities to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the Health and Medical Education (H&ME) department has introduced laser facility as an armamentarium for interventional pulmonology.
Laser intervention is helpful in management of various respiratory diseases like central airway obstruction (Malignant or benign) and haemoptysis of varying aetiologies.
Setup by Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar, this facility has been introduced for the first time in J&K. Earlier, most of the patients had to visit outside J&K for management of such respiratory diseases.
Two cases were performed Friday using the new facility. The procedure was performed by experienced interventional pulmonologists headed by Professor Naveed Nazir Shah using ND-YAG Lumax 1320 nn laser with the support of an anaesthesia team headed by Professor Rukhsana Najeeb. First one was performed under general anaesthesia using rigid bronchoscopy and second one under conscious sedation using flexible bronchoscopy.
Commenting on this development, Dr. Naveed Nazir Shah said,“We are highly thankful to Dr. Samia Rashid, Principal, GMC Srinagar and Medical Superintendent Dr Salem Tak for their efforts in starting this facility”. He added that with the start of this facility, patient care will be definitely improved besides economic burden on patients will also be reduced.