Muralidharan Pillai & Ferheen Ali
Port Blair, May 23: Though declared a District Hospital, ante-natal and ultrasound services remain in complete disarray at Dr RP Hospital, Mayabunder in North Andaman.
Ultrasound equipments were installed in the hospital more than a year ago; but owing to poor maintenance and official negligence, the service has been stopped and expecting mothers are regularly referred to Port Blair for ultrasound scans.
According to sources, shortage of staff and lack of maintenance is alleged to be the major cause for the disorder in the ultrasound services in the district hospital.
“Pregnant women come to the Mayabunder hospital for ultrasound scans from different parts of the North and Middle Andaman region. After the installation of the Ultrasound equipments, competent services were expected by the people of this region. But that did not happen. Pregnant women are now referred to Port Blair for the scans even as the hospital management has turned a blind eye to the dire need to ensure proper maintenance of the ultrasound machines and adequate staff strength. For the callousness of the hospital authorities, one expecting mother recently suffered miscarriage recently after she failed to book a helicopter ticket to Port Blair for an urgent ultrasound check-up,” said some patients speaking to Andaman Sheekha.
Intervention of the senior officials of the Health Department has become imperative for resumption of ultrasound services at Dr RP Hospital, Mayabunder.
Despite several complaints from the local PRI members, the hospital has witnessed no improvement in services in the recent months and remedial action is urgently required to prevent any further mishaps in the hospital.
When contacted, Dr. Jamila, Chief Medical Officer of Mayabunder Hospital, she informed Andaman Sheekha that the Ultra sound machine was bought in 2002 and the machine has not been functioning properly since last year.
She told that the hospital has informed the DHS about the issue and all the formalities for the purchase of a new ultra sound machine has been done from the hospital side.
“We have even provided the DD. The DHS has also given the purchase order for the machines and it is under process now.”
Accepted the fact that patients have been suffering due to the unavailability of an ultra sound machine she assured that the DHS is trying best to solve the problem.
