The Bengal government spent more than Rs 200 crore in 2022- 23 to cure patients having Swasthya Sathi card and suffering from heart ailments, cancer and knee problems in 2022-23.

A senior official of the health department said most of the money was spent on people suffering from heart problems. As many as 12,372 critical patients underwent angioplasty, costing Rs 71.30 crore. Around 3,050 patients underwent angioplasty at Rs 12.21 crore.

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Bypass surgery (on pumps) was conducted on 5,903 patients at Rs 60 crore. Radiotherapy or chemotherapy was conducted on 4,941 patients at Rs 42.30 crore. Joint knee replacement was done at Rs 23.59 lakh.

Manjula Bauri, a resident of Baruipur in South 24-Parganas said she was suffering from tongue cancer and beat the disease because of Swasthya Sathi card. Tulu Hembram of Jhargram got her valve in the heart replaced with the help of Swasthya Sathi card.

A senior official of the state health department said difficult and costly surgeries like angioplasty, valve replacement, installation of pacemakers and bypass surgery were done free-of-cost under the Swasthya Card scheme. “In West Bengal, treatment in state-run hospitals is free.

The patients get the best treatment and the patients are being looked after properly. It is because of the facilities available now, the state-run hospitals are flooded with people. “The government has given emphasis on the treatment of cancer patients and a building is coming up opposite the SSKM hospital.

The SSKM hospital has been chosen as the global centre to carry out an experiment with fast detection of breast cancer.”