Patna, May 13: Khagaul resident Vishnu Bhagat had brought his wife, a breast cancer patient, to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), today for a radiotherapy session. He, however, had to return disappointed, as the specialised machine used for cobalt therapy has gone kaput.
Healthcare at PMCH, the premier health hub of the city, seems to be coming to a grinding halt. After the CT Scan and the X-ray machines, it is now time for the cobalt unit in the radiology department to stop functioning.
“I was given an appointment today for a radiotherapy session. But when I reached the radiology department, the employees there told me that the machine was not working,” said Bhagat.
He added: “When I asked what the problem was, and when the machine would start working, the employee could give me no fixed date.”
“This is a very specialised treatment for cancer patients, many of whom are terminally ill. Radiotherapy is also a very expensive treatment. At PMCH we provide it free of cost. As the unit has been dysfunctional for the past two years, poor patients are not getting this treatment,” said a source in the radiology department of the hospital.
Doctors at the department said the theatron 60 machine is used for radiotherapy of cancer patients. “Cobalt therapy or cobalt 60 therapy is the medical use of gamma rays from cobalt 60 radio isotopes to treat cancer,” said a doctor in the department.
He added: “As the cobalt machine is very expensive and requires specialist support, these are stored in cobalt units. We receive hundreds of patients every week in the radiology unit, who need to undergo radiotherapy sessions. As the machine is out of order for the past few months, we have to turn the patients away,” added the doctor.
Sources in the hospital said because of the non-functioning of the cobalt unit, patients have to go to Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences or Mahavir Cancer Sansthan, a private cancer hospital, where they have to cough up large sums for treatment.
Bhagat said: “My wife is at a very serious stage and so I am taking her to another hospital.”
O.P. Chaudhury, superintendent, PMCH said the machine had developed a technical snag and would be repaired within a few days.
“We hope that the machine will start functioning early next week and patients will be able to avail of its services,” Chaudhury told The Telegraph.
Sources said even months after the CT Scan and the X-ray machines in the emergency ward stopped working, they are yet to be repaired or replaced.
The CT Scan machine has been dysfunctional for the past two years and the X-ray equipment has been out of order for the past five months.
“Almost 90 per cent of the patients admitted to the critical care unit require diagnoses like X-ray and CT Scan. As a result of this, attendants of the patients are left with no other option than taking even critical patient outside the hospital. This is very inconvenient and dangerous. Neither the state health department, nor the hospital administration has bothered to get these machines replaced in large public interest,” said a source in the hospital.
