CUTTACK: Shortage of equipment is adversely affecting diagnostic services in some departments of SCB Medical College and Hospital here. Worst hit is the Radiology department. Patients requiring ultrasound doppler test in Radiology department have to wait for months together just to get a test done. With certain diseases requiring immediate result to start medication, the patients have no choice but to opt for private diagnostic centres who charge anything between Rs 2,000 and Rs 4,000 for the test.
In one case, Mania a 38-year-old destitute patient who is suffering from Hypopigmented band was given an appointment for March 19, 2020, a four-month-long wait. Mania suffers from the condition allegedly due to excessive tight binding of ropes or wire on the body for a prolonged period. He was rescued and admitted to the casualty ward of the hospital on November 18 by some social activists. He was admitted to the destitute ward of psychiatric department after some of the major departments refused to admit him.
As per the recommendation of doctors in Plastic Surgery department, Mania was taken to Radiology Department where he was suggested a doppler ultrasound. But given the long wait, his fate hangs in balance.
Sources said, out of five ultrasound machines in the department, doppler test is being conducted with one machine on which patients of various departments of the entire hospital depend. With at least one hour required for the test, maximum five to six USG doppler studies are conducted in a day from 10 am to 3 pm. What is worse is the facility remains closed on Government holidays.
A Doppler ultrasound is a non-invasive test that can be used to estimate the blood flow through one’s blood vessels by bouncing high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) off circulating red blood cells. A regular ultrasound uses sound waves to produce images, but can’t show blood flow.
Apart from diagnosing many conditions such as blood clot, venous insufficiency, heart valve defects and congenital heart disease, arterial occlusion, peripheral artery disease, bulging arteries, carotid artery stenosis, USG Doppler study helps doctors in checking for injuries to patients’ arteries or to monitor certain treatments to their veins and arteries.The hospital authority, however, were not available for comment.