A city hospital for the first time in the country achieved a new milestone making an entry into the Guinness World Records (GWR).

The Reason: The cardiology unit of AMRI Hospitals at Dhakuria has performed the highest number of 509 surgeries in the world in a single month of July. The GWR office based in London conveyed the news of ‘historic achievement’ to the AMRI Hospitals authorities last week.

According to a communication made by the GWR, the hospital’s cardiac catheterization laboratory (cath- lab) unit has performed the procedure in a single month in a single centre with a single machine in covid time. On 2 August, the GWR authorities in its communication have informed Dr Prakash Hazra, interventional cardiologist and head of the cardiology unit at the Dhakuria unit of the hospital.

“It’s a historic achievement. GWR has informed us to make our cardiology unit’s entry into their book. The certificate will be handed over to us soon,” said Dr Hazra. “We have performed the highest number of 509 operations like coronary artery grafting (CAG), percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and several others for the first time in the world in July despite the Covid pandemic ravaging the state.

It’s a brilliant team effort in the cardiology units,” he added. “We had applied to the GWR authorities giving the number of surgeries and cath lab procedures performed in a single month. Their officials visited our unit and verified details in connection with our claims,” he said.

M R Bangur Hospital best: At a time when the opposition parties slam the Mamata Banerjee government for poor healthcare services in the state two hospitals including a private in the city achieved new milestones. The NITI Aayog has recognised the state-run M R Bangur Hospital in the Tollygunj area as the best district hospital in the country considering its healthcare services.

NITI Aayog had conducted a nationwide study in district hospitals accomodating 300 and above beds each across states in 2018-2019. M R Bangur Hospital having 713 beds is the district hospital of South 24 Parganas. Dr Sisir Naskar, superintendent of the hospital, said, “Swasthya Bhaban has informed us about the NITI Aayog’s recognition certifying our hospital as the best district hospital in the country. It’s great news for our state.”