Medical equipment mostly in disrepair
Medical equipment including the diagnosis machines of some departments under the Rangpur Medical College and Hospital (RpMCH), have been lying in a state of disrepair for long. The RpMCH authorities are yet to take steps to repair the equipment. As a result, patients are deprived of their due services.
Almost all the crucial medical equipment of radiology and imaging department, cardiovascular, and nephrology departments are not working now.
The RpMCH officials said that several times they had sought repairing services from the Dhaka-based National Electro Medical Equipment Maintenance, Workshop, and Training Center (NEMEMW), but received no response.
The radiology and imaging department fails to provide services to patients as its CT Scan machine, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine, two digital X-Ray machines, two computer radiography machines and five ultrasonography machines are left unrepaired.
The department is now serving only with an ultrasonography machine, a manual X-Ray machine and a computer radiography machine.
Patients referred from other hospitals around the eight districts under Rangpur division have been deprived of proper diagnosis from at RpMCH as the equipment is not working. They have to get diagnosed at two to three times the cost at the private health facilities.
For example, a patient requiring MRI test has to pay Tk 6,000 to a private diagnostic centre, when the cost of such test was Tk 3,000 at RPMCH.
RpMCH charged Tk 2,000 for CT Scan, but the patients pay Tk 4,000-5,000 to private facilities for the same purpose.
The extra expense for diagnosis puts extra financial burden on the patients, particularly the poor ones.
A technologist at the radiology and imaging department, preferring to remain anonymous, told Prothom Alo that patients from distant places have are turned away from RpMCH as vital equipment is dysfunctional. At the same time, indoor patients also have to go to facilities outside for their tests and diagnosis.
RpMCH’s radiology and imaging department’s head Nazmun Nahar told Prothom Alo that she informed the RpMCH director about the machines several times , but to no avail. She added that the hospital authorities installed an expensive MRI machine six months ago but has yet not commissioned it.
RpMCH director Rezaul Karim, told Prothom Alo the out-of-repair machines cannot be repaired in Rangpur. Usually NEMEMW troubleshoots on the dysfunctional medical equipment. The hospital authorities repeatedly informs NEMEMW, but receives no positive response.
When asked why the new MRI machine was still shutdown, the director said, “A team from Dhaka will examine the machine before its launching. But the team could not come to RpMCH because of the Covid situation. “The machine will be launched soon,” he expressed hope.
Despite several calls over phone, this correspondent could not get comments from the NEMEMW’s chief technical manager Abdullah Al Masud and the technical manager Md Anwar Hossain.
On the other hand, three out of four defibrillators, nine out of 21 cardiac monitors, two out of four eco-cardiac machines at the cardiovascular department are not working. There is no functional pulse oximeter, angiography machine and pacemaker insertion machine at the department.
Departmental head Shakil Gafur told Prothom Alo, “RpMCH director has been informed several times in this regard.”
The nephrology department’s 14 dialysis machines out of 26 are now dysfunctional. Dialysis at the department is provided only by the functional ones. However, the functional machines often develop technical glitches while working round the clock.
The department’s head Mobashwer Hossain told Prothom Alo that the 14 machines, now dysfunctional, were installed in 2013. The remaining machines were purchased in 2016. Two water treatment plants, crucial components of the dialysis machines, are also non-functional.
“Patients are the ultimate sufferers. The hospital director has been informed about the matter,” he said.