Cuttack, Feb. 6: Patients in need of dialysis in western Odisha continue to suffer as the haemo-dialysis unit of the nephrology department at the VSS Medical College and Hospital in Burla fails to function.

Though a year ago the government was told by Orissa High Court to appoint nephrologists and ensure effective functioning of the hospital’s nephrology department, patients are still unable to avail dialysis facilities there because of absence of doctors.

The plight of the patients suffering from renal failure at VSS has come into focus again with a petition being filed before the chief justice of the high court seeking intervention for immediate resumption of dialysis service there.

The letter petition, submitted by Sanat Luha and 11 others, was registered as a public interest litigation yesterday. The division bench of acting Chief Justice P.K. Mohanty and Justice S.K. Mishra has directed the Odisha health secretary to file an affidavit on the issue by February 8 indicating the detailed status of doctors available at VSS.

During hearing of another PIL on healthcare service at the three state-run medical college and hospitals in November 2011, Amicus Curiae P.R. Dash had alleged in an affidavit that dialysis machines were lying idle at the nephrology department of VSS as no doctor was available against the required three professors and one super-specialist.

When the high court sought clarification on it, the state counsel filed a report on December 9, 2011, on the basis of a communication received from the chief secretary.

The report said the health and family welfare department has been instructed to advertise for engagement of nephrologists on contractual basis.

As an interim measure, two doctors from SCB Medical College and Hospital have been deployed to work at VSS for three days each in a week.