When the first-ever catheterisation laboratory (cath lab) in Mymensingh was set up at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital (MMCH) this year, it brought optimism to the district's cardiac patients.

However, nine months on, it is yet to be operational, gradually becoming a cause for concern for all involved.

Cath lab is an examination room in a hospital or clinic with diagnostic imaging equipment used to visualise arteries and chambers of the heart and treat any stenosis or abnormality found. Dr Laxmi Narayan, deputy director of MMCH, says this is due to the unavailability of an interventional cardiologist, needed to run the lab.

"We sent two letters to Ministry of Health so far, asking for an interventional cardiologist. The process has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic," he said.

The cath lab was set up to support patients admitted to the 1,000-bed hospital. It was inaugurated on February 15 this year.

The hospital is visited by patients from the greater Mymensingh region (Mymensingh, Jamalpur, Sherpur, Netrakona, Kishoreganj and Tangail), as well as from Sylhet, Sunamganj, Gazipur, Gaibandha, and Kurigram districts, said Dr Narayan.

The demand for its service is so high, that it often gets patients more than three times its capacity. Normally, around 200 remain admitted to the cardiology department.

But despite its goodwill, the hospital cannot serve patients that require stenting. A stent is a tiny tube that doctors can insert into a blocked passageway to keep it open.

Stents restore flow of blood or other fluids, depending on where it's placed, said sources from the cardiology department.

If the cath lab becomes operational, patients, especially the ones with heart diseases, will be able to avail better treatment from this lab.

Otherwise, many may have to travel to Dhaka to get the same services, said Dr Ganapati Aditya, head of cardiology department at MMCH.

 Once operational, a patient will have to pay around Tk 6,000 for angiogram and related tests at the hospital, which is around Tk 25,000 in private hospitals, said Dr Aditya. The doctors also said the lab will need more than one interventional cardiologists and a specialised "Cardiac Surgery Unit" to handle the huge rush of heart patients at the hospital everyday.