CUTTACK: The crippled health care services at SCB Medical College and Hospital here make a mockery of the State Government’s claim to provide affordable medical services to all in time.
The premier health care institution of the State is not even well equipped or staffed to deal with day-to-day diagnosis and tests. Patients coming to the hospital for diagnostic tests have to wait for months to get a test done forcing them to visit private facilities.
The Electromyography (EMG) test unit in Neurology department for diagnosis of neuromuscular disease is one such example.
At present, there is only one EMG machine on which patients depend upon for Nerve Conduction Study (NCS) and Polysomnography (PSG) tests.
With no attendant, the sole technician have to deal with machine and patients. While at least one hour is required for the test, maximum 7 to 8 studies are conducted daily and the facility remains closed on Government holidays.
Pramod Boul from Chhatia in Jajpur district had gone for a check-up at the hospital OPD on May 30 for chronic pain in left wrist and right leg along with splitting headache which he had been suffering for the last few months.
As per the advice of doctors, he went to the department for the NCS test where he was given a serial number for December 5. Poor Pramod had no other way than to wait for six months to get the test done at SCBMCH.
However, with certain neurological 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.
Sources said considering the problem, SCBMCH authority had procured an imported Single Fibre EMG (SFEMG) machine at a cost of `30 lakh about one and a half years back. However, it is yet to be made operational.
While the agency through which the machine was procured is attributing it to irregular power supply, engineers of General Electrical Division, however, have clarified that there is no fluctuation in the flow of current.
Though a high-level committee comprising SCBMCH authorities and Health departmental officials had a meeting on the issue, there has been no progress.
Head of the Neurology department Prof Ashok Mallick said the problems would be resolved after construction of Super Specialty block in the hospital.