The operation theatres (OT) are in a dismal state for over a month now at the Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH), the largest government health service provider in the south western zone of the country.
Critical patients are returning home from the hospital in despair while at least 200 patients admitted there are passing days in uncertainty. Some patients are being sent to other hospitals.
Service of the two OTs out of four OTs of the hospital came to a halt when fire broke out from an electric short circuit and burnt all the essential equipments lying there on July 19, according to banglanews24.com.
Three anesthesia machines, one diathermy machine, three sucker machines, three ceiling lights and two air conditioners were burnt in the accident.
Doctors cannot perform the routine operations inspite of having specialised manpower and medicines.
Rani Biswas, a critical patient of intestinal cancer, claims that, inspite of remaining admitted to the surgery department at KMCH for several days, no surgeries were done. Later, her parents shifted her to Dhaka for better treatment.
Upon reaching the hospital, Alamgir, a patient injure critically, found the OTs to be closed. Then he was taken to another hospital.
Another patient Aparna Shaha, injured in a road accident said: “I did not know that the doctors are not doing any surgeries here.” Later, she was admitted to Khulna Pongu Hospital.
While local people alleged that the hospital authorities have taken no necessary steps to repair the OTs, the authorities claimed that they have been doing surgeries by hiring equipments from other hospitals.
Poor patients cannot efford better hospitals. Many of them have sold out their belongings to meet the surgical costs of the hospital, they claim.
Dr Sheikh Farid Uddin Ahmed, Junior Consultant of Anesthesiology Department of KMCH said: “The authorities have hired a general anesthesia machine from Shahid Abu Naser Bisheshayito Hospital to resume the surgical operations.”
They have informed the concerned authority in Dhaka to replace the burnt equipments, he added.
Seeking annonimity, an employee of the OTs said: “Sergical operations were suspended 30 days before.”
A section of people also claim that medicines from store rooms are being stolen that are used during special operations with the permission of Junior Consultant (anesthesiology) and Residential Medical Officer (RMO).
However, the hospital authority did not make any comment over the matter.
