Tertiary healthcare is now within the reach of the common man, thanks to the establishment of several super speciality hospitals in the city.
Guntur has been a hub of quality medical care since the days when young men and women graduated from the historic Guntur Medical College in the 1960s. The establishment of the Government General Hospital in the year 1944 at Kothapet and its progression as the referral hospital for coastal districts gave a fillip to other private hospitals.
GMC connection
Several hospitals which have sprung up on Old Club Road have been providing affordable health care for many years. Leading cardiologists like Murali Babu Rao, P. Raghava Sharma, Karumuri Srinivasa Reddy, neurologists like V. Ram Taraknath and NV Sundara Chary and urologists like KSN Chary and orthopedicians like Amarnath Surat, who are all either students of GMC or have served in GGH here, have become household names.
In the year 2015, Vijayawada-based Ramesh Hospitals established their super speciality centre. The centre has now advanced facilities for cardio thoracic surgery and other surgeries. Recently, the centre was given permission for organ transplantation.
Omega Hospitals, which has advanced facilities for treatment of cancer, was opened in 2017 by Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu.
The Samishta Hospital and Research Centre opened by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday reflects the trend. The hospital, promoted by physician Kalyan Chakravarthy of Help Hospitals, neurologist Nallabothu Sarath Chandra Kumar and Seven Hills pharmacy director Degala Prabhakar, has advanced stroke unit, modern cathlab, advanced endoscopy and two laminar operation theatres along with a critical care unit.
“Earlier, people used to go to major cities such as Hyderabad and Chennai for treatment. But after the bifurcation of the State, Guntur has become a hub of advanced healthcare,” said Dr. Kalyan Chakravarthy.