BERHAMPUR: One of the premier government-run health facilities of south Odisha, the MKCG Medical College and Hospital has run out of orthopaedic implants leaving patients in the lurch. In the last three days, no surgical intervention has been carried out in the orthopaedic department of the MCH due to depletion of the stock of implants. Surprisingly, the doctors were unaware of the situation till Monday.
Sources said the doctors of the department had planned to perform surgery on five indoor patients on Monday. Accordingly, the patients remained on empty stomach and reached the operation theatre (OT). However, after spending some time in the OT, they were asked to return to their hospital beds as no implant was available in the MCH.
Though the incident landed both the patients and doctors in a piquant situation, none was willing to complain. The patients feared that their treatment will be delayed if they complained about the incident. Similarly, the doctors remained silent fearing the wrath of their higher authorities.
MCH insiders said Kerala-based Hindustan Latex Limited (HLL) was entrusted with supplying implants to the hospital. After the end of the agreement period, fresh tender was floated and another agency entrusted with the supply. The new agency was supposed to start supply from February 15 this year. However till February 20, no implant had reached the MCH.
On the other hand, after coming to know about the fresh tender, HLL stopped supplying implants to the MCH but reportedly did not submit it in writing.Sources said the supplied implants first arrive at the hospital superintendent’s office before being distributed as per indent. In this case, the orthopaedic department had sent its indent but the superintendent office slept over it and even did not bother to inform the department about the depletion of implant stock.
Contacted, MCH superintendent Prof SK Mishra defended himself by saying HLL suddenly stopped the supply before the new agency could send the implants. He, however, assured that the new agency has been asked to start the supply and the MCH may receive the implant stock on Tuesday.