Gastro wing at MKCG Medical College and Hospital defunct, patients suffer

Berhampur: Serious concern is being aired about the smooth running of MKCG Medical College and Hospital at Berhampur, one of the oldest in the state as the gastroenterology wing remains non-functional.

The patients are either forced to seek treatment outside or have to pay hefty fees to avail of private help due to the deficient infrastructure and services of the medical facility. 

The medical gastroenterology division of MKCG has almost become non-existent due to a lack of staff and physical resources like beds. The medical students and patients are left in a bind due to the absence of a professor who was appointed in January. 

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A room filled with expensive medical equipment, including an upper GI endoscope, a C-arm, and a colonoscope, is collecting dust. As far as the one-room department is concerned, the equipment has not yet been installed yet due to the unavailability of sufficient space. 

Dean and principal Prof Santosh Kumar Mishra admitted that the department still does not have sufficient infrastructure and faculty. “The professor went on leave after joining and serving for some days. However, patient care has not been affected as the assistant professor is looking after it,” he said. Health secretary Shalini Pandit assured she would look into the matter, reports The New Indian Express.

According to reports, patients who are suffering from liver and digestive disorders and are seeking treatment in the facility have been recommended to undergo diagnostic procedures at private facilities that charge more than 3,000 for a full colonoscopy and more than Rs 1,000 for a distal colonoscopy. 

Abani Kumar Gaya, a senior attorney and the convenor of the Manav Adhikar Manch in Berhampur, claimed that despite availability of sufficient equipment, patients are still required to pay out of pocket. "More than two years have passed since the department was opened, but the authorities are yet to provide adequate facilities including beds for indoor patients. Only OPD service is available, that too not regular, due to lack of adequate doctors and infrastructure,” he pointed out. 

The first assistant professor was appointed in the medical gastroenterology wing in June 2022, despite Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's declaration that the department would become operational in 2021. Only one assistant professor is single-handedly managing the facility while the professor and department head, who was appointed on January 12 this year and joined in March, went on leave. Vacancies for associate professor, senior, and junior resident positions are yet to be fulfilled.

According to sources, the hospital administration is making arrangements for the gastrointestinal department at the PMR building, which is currently home to the medicine department. The gastrointestinal department will be relocated to the second level of the building when the medicine ward has moves to the former paediatric building by August.  

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