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Lithotripter machine installed at Urology Department CMCH faulty

LARKANA: The only lithotripter machine installed at Urology Department, Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH), Larkana, is dyfunctional since over three months causing hardships for the kidney-stone patients who arrive from far flung areas to get their kidney stones crushed through modern laser technology.

In this connection, it was learnt that shockwaves of the machine have exhausted which are to be supplied by the suppliers of the machine who also carry out its maintenance annually affected patients do come to get their little kidney stones removed through the latest technology in 3 to 5 sittings without operation which saves their precious kidneys and the patients reach here not only from across the five districts of Larkana division and other districts but also from Balochistan as CMCH is claimed to be the largest teaching hospital of rural Sindh having over 1700 beds.

Prof. Malik Hussain Jalbani, retired head of urology department told this scribe on Sunday that the said lithotripter machine was installed in 2007-08 and it can remove kidney stones upto one centimeter and higher weight stones will need PCNL operation, according to the guidelines which means the machine has been operating since past 13 years and has completed it’s working age.

Meanwhile, one major urological operation of Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL) has not yet been restored despite passage of over one year due to shifting of the department from existing building to Dental Department building on the pretext of repair and renovation. Four other major operations have been restored which also remained stopped for over six months for the same reason which include TransUrethral Resection of Prostate (TURP), TransUrethral Resection of Bladder Tumor (TURBT), Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL) and Urethroplasty, reliable sources claimed. Worst affected are the poor patients who are forced to go to Karachi, Hyderabad, Gambat and elsewhere for their needful operation which costs them more in the prevailing historic price hike era.

A list of seven to eight patients is made daily for removal of kidney stones through the lithotripter machine and no fee is charged from anyone. Dr. Abdul Sattar Shaikh, CMCH Medical Superintendent, said that the contract for maintenance and supply of shockwaves of the lithotripter has been awarded and the contractor has made a commitment that by 19th November the lithotripter machine will be made operational.

He said very soon the urology department will return it’s all activities in the original building as repair and renovation work is over 80% completed. He said he is trying his best to replace all the CMCH outdated equipment, instruments and machineries for which he will write a detailed letter to the health department to release funds.