Munger: Munger district residents are denied crucial tests at the sadar hospital, as two pathological machines are defunct for the past six months.

The hospital officials said the Bihar Medical Services and Infrastructure Corporation Limited - which buys drugs and equipment for government hospitals - has been informed but nothing has been done.

Two semi auto analyser machines are lying defunct for six months now. As a result, patients coming to the sadar hospital's pathological centre from different parts of the district are deprived of costly and important pathological tests

"It's true that two semi-auto analyser machines are lying dead at the sadar hospital's pathological centre for six months," acting civil surgeon (Munger) Sudhir Kumar Sinha today told The Telegraph. "I've written to the Bihar Medical Services and Infrastructure Corporation Limited, Patna, three times in this connection, but in vain. The contract with the concerned agency for repair ended a year ago."

A large number of services are hit. "We are unable to provide patients free liver, kidney and sugar profile tests," deputy superintendent of the Munger Sadar Hospital, Dr Rakesh Kumar Sinha, said.

"Liver profile includes bilirubin, GGT, SGOT and SGPT; kidney profile includes blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine serum, uric acid tests; and sugar profile includes diabetes screen, HbA1c, average blood glucose (ABG) tests. Twenty other free tests including the complete blood count (CBC) test, malaria test, kala azar test, Hepatitis test, VDRL test, BT/CT test, urine (pregnancy) and routine urine tests are done normally by technicians of the department in two shifts everyday, except on Sunday."

"CBC costs a bomb at private pathological centres. It helps diagnose diseases like infections, inflammation, cancer, leaukemia, auto-immune condition, bone marrow failure, anaemia etc. The CBC test also includes white blood cells, red blood cells and platelet tests," the hospital deputy superintendent said.

"Sir, I was suffering from renal problems," said Sunita Devi, a patient hailing from Mangal Bazar locality of Munger town.

"The doctor on duty prescribed creatinine serum test. When I went to the pathology department I was told that the semi auto analyser machines are defunct. Thus, I was deprived of a free test at the sadar hospital's pathological centre in Munger. I had to undergo those costly tests at a private pathological centre and pay a hefty price."