Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research conducted angioplasty and Stenting procedure for 175 poor patients recently.
Stents were given free of cost to all the patients.
The most expensive component of angioplasty is Stent, each costing between Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh.
Govindaraju Subramani Heart Foundation and Medtronic Vascular Division, California, USA, donated Stents, Balloons worth Rs 1.75 crore and Rs 50 lakh was contributed by the Hospital for the treatment of poor patients.
Director of the institute Dr C N Manjunath said heart-related diseases are steadily increasing even among poor in rural areas.
Most of the patients are poor agriculturists, daily wage labourers, autorickshaw drivers, footpath vendors, garment factory workers and financially constrained senior citizens, he noted.