BHUBANESWAR: Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, India (JSA-India) has urged the Odisha government to take immediate steps to streamline the renal transplantation programme at the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.
In a letter to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday, the national network of organisations working on health and allied issues across 20 states and Union territories pointed out that despite the launch of the Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme (PMNDP) aimed at providing free dialysis to below poverty line (BPL) patients at district hospitals, the ground reality remains grim.
Repeated representations by the Kidney Transplant Patients’ Association (KTPA) and JSA-Odisha to the Health department, chief secretary, and even the chief minister have not yielded any effective response, it added.
Of the seven sanctioned posts in the nephrology department, five are lying vacant and one of the two posted now is a contractual appointment. Surprisingly, the Health department recently transferred one regular assistant professor to MKCG MCH, Berhampur despite the rush of kidney patients at SCB MCH.
Advisor of JSA-India Prafulla Samantara said kidney patients are suffering as the only renal transplantation unit in the public sector at SCB MCH is plagued with large-scale vacancies. “The state government should immediately fill the vacancies and come to the rescue of chronic kidney patients, who are forced to pay through their nose at private hospitals for treatment,” he added.
JSA-Odisha convenor Gouranga Mohapatra said the government should also enforce strict protocols to prohibit the use of unapproved or banned medications in kidney transplant procedures and ensure adherence to safe clinical practices.
Although 190 kidney transplants were conducted at SCB MCH between 2010 and 2022 with 42 recorded deaths, another 27 patients died allegedly due to administration of banned drugs and lack of adequate post-operative care, the forum members cited.
They also demanded to deploy a specialised medical team to conduct mass screenings and early diagnosis of kidney diseases in areas where a number of cases has been reported in the recent past, and provide free dialysis services through mobile units along with kidney transplant services at no cost.