Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Dec 25: The worries of people approaching Capital Hospital seeking affordable healthcare continue to mount with the defunct ultrasound facility being the latest on the list of woes.
The ultrasound facility has been inoperative for the past two months, forcing the patients to turn to establishments outside for the tests and pay through their nose for the examinations that would not burn holes in their pockets if done at government-run hospitals, according to hospital sources.
The ultrasound examination costs about Rs 150 for a patient at Capital Hospital, while in private clinics the cost varies from Rs 500 to Rs 1,500.
“My child had some abdominal pain for which the doctors here suggested that we get an ultrasound examination done. I went to the ward but found a big lock on the door. When I approached a private clinic, they took Rs 800 from me,” said Balabanta Sahu.
The problem lies largely in the dearth of a physician to man the ultrasound machine. The problem is expected to persist for at least another month as the hospital authorities here said that the recruitment of a physician to run the machine will take place late January.
Capital Hospital superintendent Binod Mishra told Orissa POST that because of lack of physicians, the facility has been hampered. “The ultrasound facility has not operative because of the dearth of physicians. However, we have started the process of recruiting contractual doctors to run the machine. The problem will be resolved very soon,” said Mishra.