Major cardiac diagnostic services at SMHS Hospital and Super Specialty Hospital, Shireen Bagh, have been hit by malfunctioning or defunct equipment. Thousands of patients from across Kashmir are left with no choice but to seek investigations elsewhere.
Many patients who needed cardiac investigations at the hospital said the Cardiac CT service has remained suspended for nearly four months. The problems started when the injector syringe, an essential component required to administer contrast during CT coronary angiography developed snag. This investigation is used by cardiologists to evaluate coronary artery disease and other heart conditions.
According to an official at the hospital, wishing anonymity, said the replacement components, including a PCB sensor board and a cable pusher sensor have already reached the hospital. However, the faulty parts were allegedly not replaced, delaying restoration of the service.
At Super Specialty Hospital, the Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA) Cath Lab is also non-functional. This facility is jointly used by the Departments of Radiology, Cardiology and Neurology and aids in specialised vascular and neurovascular procedures, Its closure has affected services across all three departments.
Both at the Super Specialty Hospital the echocardiography (ECHO) service has come to a complete halt. The ECHO machine has been lying non-functional, for nearly three months now. Cardiac ECHO is the modern and indispensable diagnostic tool for evaluating heart structure and function. Its prolonged non-functionality has disrupted cardiac diagnostic services at Super Specialty Hospital. The delayed detection and management of life-threatening cardiovascular conditions and increasing patient waiting times have concerned doctors and patients. Many patients are forced to travel to private healthcare facilities for this essential investigation.
At SMHS Hospital too, the ECHO is carried out only on emergency patients. The ECHO equipmet available at the hospital has non-functional Color Doppler, and the old machine, specialists believe, is unable to provide adequate resolution for accurate diagnosis. In addition
The CT Angio is also not available at the Hospitals, delaying the detection of conditions such as stroke, pulmonary embolism, aortic dissection, coronary artery disease. The patients are left with no choice leading to treatment delays and increased financial burden.
Medical Superintendent Super Specialty Hospital, Dr Rubeena Shaheen acknowledged that ECHO was non-functional at the hospital she heads administratively. She refused to provide any further details.
Medical Superintendent SMHS Hospital, Dr Andleeb Bashir said the ECHO is functional. She however did not comment on the defunct components.
A senior doctor at the hospital said that requisition for repairs and replacements had been sent to JKMSCL many times, but to no avail. JKMSCL Managing Director Tariq Hussain did not respond to repeated calls for his version.
