Bargarh: Nearly a year after a blood separation unit was inaugurated on the premises of Bargarh district headquarters hospital (DHH) here for the benefit of patients; the machine lies nonfunctional owing to lack of a critical component.
Cases of patients dying without blood are galore in this district. With an intention to save such patients lives, the blood separation unit was established in the campus of Bargarh DHH at a cost of Rs 70 lakhs. The cost of the instruments housed in the unit is estimated to be more than Rs 1 crore. The facility was inaugurated October 5, 2018.
It was then said that this facility would process each unit of blood to three separate components- red blood cells, plasma and platelets and thus save lives of three different patients.
That said, promises have remained promises and inauguration has been limited only to the plaque without the installation of another critical machine known as ‘platelet agitator’. That has kept this facility unutilized for nine months now while a investments of over Rs 1 crore – that could have helped the patients significantly — is about to go down the drains.
When asked chief district medical officer (CDMO) in-charge Dr Sadhucharan Dash said, “The machine would be provided by the state government. Letters have already been written by the DHH to the higher ups, requesting them for the machine. Once the machine reaches us, the unit will be made functional.”
Nine months surely is a long time to send letters and receive replies, pointed out locals.
PNN