Bhopal: For the second consecutive day, the four operation theatres (OTs) continued to remain non operational on Thursday at Bhopal Memorial Hospital Research Centre (BMHRC), the facility dedicated to gas victims.
A number of patients, mostly gas tragedy survivors, have been left in lurch as critical surgeries at the hospital are being delayed because of the non functioning of the OTs. The hospital administration has assured that it is working to restore the facilities but even after two days, OTs are yet to became operational.
The OTs of cardiac surgery and angioplasty, neurosurgery, ophthalmology surgery are shut down. Since the blood thinner medicine is not available, the cardiac OTs have been closed down, while the neurology surgeries are not being performed as camera scope is not functioning at the OT. The BMHRC administration has convened a meeting of the purchasing committee in this regard, however, when things will become normal is uncertain.
The Supreme Court’s committee is in touch with the BMHRC administration over the issue. The hospital administration has reported the committee that it has convened the purchasing committee meeting and is looking into the matter.
As many of the surgeries have been put on hold due to non-functioning of the OTs, critical patients have no option but to move to other medical facilities. BMHRC is working under Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and so now it can appoint medical experts as per the requirement. Earlier it was under DHR (Department of Health Research), and there the rules for recruitment were complicated.
SC panel in touch with BMHRC
“Four OTs are not functioning due to lack of apparatuses, medicines and other reasons. Even after two days, they remain non operational. But the BMHRC administration has assured that they are working to resolve the issue. It is unfortunate on the part of the BMHRC that it could not resolve the issue before it snowballed into major controversy. We are consistently in touch with BMHRC administration for restoration of these facilities,” said Purendu Shukla, SC committee member
