Death stares at cardiothoracic vascular surgery patients at Odisha’s premiere hospital

The abysmal lack of infrastructure and manpower at cardiothoracic vascular surgery wing of SCB Medical College & Hospital (SCBMCH) at Cuttack – Odisha’s largest government-run healthcare facility established during the British Raj — has come under focus with the authorities candidly admitting that patients may face the threat of death due to unavailability of the required equipment.

The sorry state of affairs at the hospital has come to the fore as the hospital authorities in an affidavit submitted to the Orissa High Court stating that the patient undergoing cardiothoracic vascular surgery will die as there is no backup to the life-support medical equipment.

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“There is availability of one heart lung machine, one heater cooler machine and one dual-chamber pacemaker and in the event one of the machines becomes non-functional during operation, the patient will die as there is no backup,” Prof (Dr) Goutam Kumar Satpathy, Medical Superintendent, SCB SCBMCH pointed out in an affidavit in reply to Division Bench of Justice S.K.Sahoo and Justice V. Narasingh’s query on the matter.

The affidavit elaborately presented deficiencies in the all-important cardiology department at the State’s largest hospital in terms of daily footfall of patients. The hospital, widely regarded as the lifeline of the health service network, records on an average footfall of 6,000 to 7,000 OPD patients every day.

For almost a decade, no equipment was procured for ‘open heart surgery’. For the first time instruments and equipment were procured in 1985 and thereafter in the year 2015. After that there was no supply of major and vital instruments and equipment despite repeated communications and requests made by the Head of the Department.

Furthermore, there is an acute shortage of manpower both in Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery (CTVS) and ECMO Unit of Cardiology Department, the affidavit revealed.

Most vital equipment and instruments in the CTVS and ECMO Unit of Cardiology Department are lacking, such as heart lung machine, heater cooler machine, intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP), dual-chamber pacemaker etc.

List of equipment and instruments required has been placed before the health and family welfare department since the financial year 2017- 2018. But ill date no instruments have been supplied to the Department, Prof. (Dr.) Satpathy, Head of SCBMCH informed the High Court.

Several communications have been made to the Director Medical Education and Training, Odisha through a series of letters right from March, 2023 onwards with request for procurement of necessary instruments and equipment. But it was of no avail.

As many as 46 items relating to equipment and instruments required by the CTVS Department have been sought for and out of which, 20 items have been received by SCBMCH, Cuttack and 26 items are yet to be delivered.

Taking strong exception to the departmental indifference towards the issue, the division bench observed “Court noted with dismay patent lack of communication and coherence between different wings of Health Department which has evidently resulted in non-supply of essential equipment endangering life of the patients.

“Such lackadaisical attitudes need to be addressed on an emergent basis and hopefully necessary corrective steps in this regard shall be taken keeping in view the welfare of the patients”.