Unnecessary heartache: LRH’s unrepaired gamma machine deserts cardio patients

Vendor refuses to rectify camera since previous dues remain unpaid


Umer Farooq June 10, 2015
As authorities failed to spend on its maintenance or clear the dues of the machine’s vendors, the cardio machine lies dormant. PHOTO: ABID NAWAZ/EXPRESS

PESHAWAR:


People in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa with cardiac problems now have the added burden of paying hefty bills at a private health facility as the only gamma camera machine in the public sector hospital remains out of order.


As authorities failed to spend on its maintenance or clear the dues of the machine’s vendors, the machine lies dormant.

A gamma camera machine carries out scans of different parts of the body by forming an image through radiations that are emitted from a tracer introduced to the patient’s body. The one at LRH went out of order on March 9 and has been in that condition since.



“The machine was purchased from a multinational company that was supposed to repair it,” an official privy to the matter told The Express Tribune. “However, previous maintenance bills have not been paid to the company yet. As a result, it has refused to fix the camera.”

While the machine can be used for various purposes, LRH’s cardiology department utilised it to carry out tests prior to heart surgeries, said an official of the hospital, requesting anonymity. He added the machine can carry out tests on six people a day as it takes about three hours to scan a person.

However, now patients have to visit an expensive private facility at Hayatabad for their scans, causing a huge dent in the pockets of those less fortunate.  The official said the cost of a gamma camera test was Rs4,500 at LRH, whereas the same scans cost more than triple the amount at Rs16,000 at the lone private facility in K-P that has the machine.

“I can’t even remember the number of times we brought this issue to the notice of relevant officials, but all in vain,” added the official.

Without the machine

Another official said tests are mandatory before a heart surgery and if an operation is carried out without a test report, a patient can lose his or her life.

He underlined the cardiology department has complete authority to deal with the repair and purchase of the machine, adding the hospital’s senior management cannot be blamed.



One of the patients, Atlas Khan, who was standing outside the department, complained that it had been ten days since he was told the machine was not functioning. “Now they are asking me to head to a facility in Hayatabad for a test; something I cannot afford.”

When contacted, the head of the cardiology department at LRH, Professor Dr Hafizullah, said the issue was brought to the notice of the hospital’s recently-introduced board of governors.

He said the cheques had been signed by him and now had to go through the finance department for final approval.

“The arrears are around Rs2.8 million which is not a very big amount and it will take two minutes to resolve the matter,” he added.

At the same time, Hospital Director Dr Adnan Taj promised to look into the problem. He recently took charge and said things would be resolved in a day or two.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 10th, 2015. 

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