When will these idle machines be functional?

Expressbuzz, April 8, 2010
BHUBANESWAR: The State Information Commission (SIC) has penalised two clerks for delaying the flow of information at their personal level on the functioning of regional diagnostic centres (RDC) under the provisions of Right To Information (RTI) Act, 2005.


While one registration clerk from Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar, was fined Rs 12,250, another senior clerk from District Family Welfare Bureau office of the Chief District Medical Officer, Sundargarh, was fined Rs 25,000 under the Act after reasonable opportunity was provided to defend themselves.

While the SIC order was based on the RTI application of complainant Traiolokyanath Panda filed with the public information officer, Health and Family Welfare Department, seeking information on five RDCs i.e. at Capital Hospital, Baripada, Bhawanipatna, Koraput and Sundargarh, the bigger question arising now is that what about the accountability of the higher officials in the Department for whom the dialysis and endoscopic machines are still lying defunct in those RDCs.

Machines worth Rs 2 crore are lying defunct including many for dialysis and several ones for endoscopic use. According to an old estimate, while a dialysis machine was priced Rs 10 lakh, the endoscopic machine was priced Rs 25 lakh at the time when they were purchased in 2004-2005, sources said.

Panda, also secretary of city-based Multi-Organ Transplantation, Human and Educational Research, said in 2008 more than 20 people died in Kalahandi with end-stage renal failure (kidney failure) for various reasons. Had the machines be functional by then, many lives could have been saved with their use, he added.

Establishment of the RDCs in tribal- dominated areas was basically planned to give the health-care delivery a major boost, but with majority of them still lacking the infrastructure and installation, accountability should be fixed on the persons concerned, he said.

A report regarding use of the defunct dialysis machines in saving lives at the RDC of VSS Medical College, Burla, has rekindled hopes once again.

However, the other RDCs have to follow the example as soon as possible, he said.