VIJAYAWADA: The Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) department at Vijayawada Government General Hospital (GGH) has given a new lease of life to a 45-year-old woman from Alluri Sitarma Raju district, who arrived with partial laryngeal paralysis. The dedicated medical team performed a thyroplasty surgery, restoring her ability to speak clearly.
Very recently an 8-year-old child from the Guntur district arrived with a swollen face, a case that was diagnosed as a cheek tumour. The skilled ENT team used endoscopy to successfully remove the tumour, giving back his playful life.
The ENT department at Vijayawada Government General Hospital (GGH) has become a beacon of hope for patients from various districts, offering life-changing medical interventions with a 98 per cent success rate.
The ENT department excels with government-provided state-of-the-art facilities and includes a professor, an associate professor, four assistant professors, and one senior resident. They treat 50 to 100 outpatients daily, rising to 150 during peak seasons, and perform 150 to 200 surgeries monthly, with an average of 7 to 8 surgeries per day. Impressively, surgeries valued from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2.50 lakh are conducted at free of charge under Dr YSR Aarogyasri scheme.
Patients including children from the surrounding six districts with a wide range of conditions seek treatment at this department, including ear discharge, ear pain, sinus problems, throat cancer, hearing issues, and voice-related concerns.
Despite its long-standing presence, the department lacked postgraduate seats until recently. But now the National Medical Commission has also sanctioned five PG seats, marking a new chapter with the latest facilities for PG students with the support of the government.
Dr. Ravi, who received a PB Kameswara Rao teaching faculty award on Sunday for a competition paper presentation on Thyroplasty at the AP ENT state conference is optimistic about the future, stated, “With the arrival of PG students, we plan to expand our services and install equipment in accordance with NMC norms.”