CUTTACK: The SCB Medical College and Hospital (SCBMCH) here has set up a dialysis unit at its isolation ward for COVID-19 infected kidney patients. Three dialysis machines have been set up with installation of RO plants to provide dialysis service in the ward.
The move came after four kidney patients, with COVID infection, died allegedly due to lack of dialysis. "Considering the growing problems faced by COVID infected kidney patients in availing dialysis, we have shifted three dialysis machines from Nephrology department to the ward and started providing dialysis service to the needy patients," said Prof Chitta Ranjan Kar.
While a COVID infected patient had undergone dialysis at the ward on Tuesday, 5 to 6 more patients availed service on Wednesday. These machines will help conduct dialysis of nine patients in three shifts per day, he added.As many as 22 kidney patients, who had tested positive for the virus, are now undergoing treatment at the isolation ward.
On the other hand, shifting of the three dialysis machines from the department to isolation ward has brought down the total number of dialysis machines to 19 of which three machines have been kept reserve for seropositive patients.
While the dialysis unit in government medical college and hospitals at Berhampur and Burla has remained shut, the SCBMCH has to bear with an excess load of kidney patients. It will be difficult to deal with the growing number of kidney patients requiring dialysis with existing 16 dialysis machines.
"We have brought the matter to the notice of Health department which have assured us to divert six dialysis machines from Berhampur and Burla hospitals to SCBMCH to meet the requirement for the time being," Kar informed.
While reviewing the COVID situation recently, Principal Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers' Empowerment department Dr Saurabh Garg and Additional Secretary of General Administration department Susanta Mohapatra, observers for Cuttack city and Cuttack Rural respectively, had asked authorities of SCB, Acharya Harihar Post Graduate Institute of Cancer and Ashwini COVID Hospital to provide dialysis and chemo therapy to needy kidney and patients infected with the coronavirus to check the death rate.
HELP FOR KIDNEY PATIENTS
Three dialysis machines have been set up in the isolation ward
Move comes after 4 kidney patients with COVID infection died allegedly due to lack of dialysis
Currently, 22 kidney patients who tested positive are under treatment at the isolation ward
As dialysis unit in Government MCHs at Berhampur and Burla remained shut, SCB MCH has to bear with an excess load of kidney patients