LARKANA:The X-Ray machines at Accident and Emergency Center also called Casualty, Digital X-Ray and other machines at main OPD Block of Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH) are dysfunctional since last several months, causing tremendous hardships to the poor patients of more than 12 districts of Sindh and parts of Balochistan, PPI learnt on Thursday.
These patients arrive here to get specialized medical treatment to save their precious lives as X-Ray is must for diagnostic purposes of chest and other related diseases, but they face trouble in tests. Digital X-Ray installed at Paeds Medicine Department is also working in very poor condition as large number of child patients rush to this section even from Balochistan and over three kids are accommodated on a single bed.
About 1500 patients attend its OPD daily and the Paeds department has 3-units. Another outdated 1985 model X-Ray machine is installed at Radiology Department in CMCH Teaching Block and same is the condition of X-Ray machine working in Urology Department where rush of patients is increasing day by day multiplying the woes of the ailing populace.
The condition of instruments and equipment installed at all the CMCH Pathological Labs is miserable as they have been constantly repaired and serviced but even then these machines are not being replaced despite the fact that they have completed their age and usage, sources told PPI.
A serving associate professor of Pathology Department of Chandka Medical College (CMC) said that costly pathological equipment was handed over to Thalasaemia Center under political and district administration pressure who had undertook to provide free services but they are highly charging now and CMCH labs are only performing three to four tests despite having huge workforce. He said blood screening has been stopped which was done previously at Rs 150 and now a needy patient has to pay between Rs 1500 to 2000 to private labs. He said today’s medical treatment is entirely based on diagnostic reports but CMCH reports are written on plain paper which is height of negligence. He said government healthcare institutions have been destroyed willfully and there seems nobody to take notice and bring reforms and make them worthy for the poor people.
The Sindh government has been constantly claiming that its healthcare facilities across Sindh are matchless but the outdated equipment and instruments working in CMCH are enough proof to negate their tall claims. Six ventilators are awaiting trained operators at the Paeds Medicine Department since last 16 years as the same were supplied in 2003, said the insiders. Costly MRI/CT Scan machines mostly remain dysfunctional which also need to be replaced with the latest equipment. Entire ultrasound machines and Colour Doppler too need to be changed for being very old and substandard along with all the equipment kept in Pathology Department. He said: “If I claim that equipment of Mohenjo Daro era is being used in CMCH, then I will not be wrong.”
Dr Ali Gohar Dahri, CMCH Medical Superintendent (MS), told PPI on Thursday that no new equipment had been supplied to CMCH during his posting. He further confirmed that he had also sent several letters to Health Department, Karachi, for replacing all the instruments, equipment and machines but no response had been given as yet. He said no doubt these machines were very essential for proper diagnosis of any disease otherwise patients will never be properly treated. He said this hospital is very unfortunate and face multifarious problems which need to be resolved on priority basis for the benefit of poor masses. Dr. Dahri is retiring from government service on 04th May on attaining the age of superannuation.