PESHAWAR: 'Operation theatres for hepatitis patients needed'
By Ashfaq Yusufzai
PESHAWAR, May 5: Operation theatres in public sector hospitals have become a major source of spreading hepatitis, according to knowledgeable sources.
"As there are no separate operation theatres to operate upon patients infected with hepatitis B and C, normal patients get infected with these dangerous ailments," a surgeon said.
Since separate operation theatres are non-existent at city hospitals, the infected patients are being either denied or operated upon as routine cases. "Two rooms have been built inside the main operation theatre for hepatitis patients, but the chief executive has directed that these rooms will be used to operate upon only private patients," said an operation theatre technician at one of the city hospitals.
He said the patients infected with the hepatitis were operated on the same table with same machines and instruments. "We take extra measures to save ourselves, but still many of our colleagues have contracted hepatitis B or C. The problem is aggravated by the fact that there is no vaccination for the staff," said a junior registrar.
He said that a patient with some gynae problem was operated on an operation table a week ago. The same operation table, he said, was used for four patients. "It was very late that we were told that the patient had hepatitis C. Actually, the patient, being a confirmed hepatitis case, had brought a normal report from a private laboratory in order to ensure her operation," said a doctor.
A senior surgeon at a teaching hospital said that shortage of instruments had been causing problems to patients as well as health workers. He said that the hospital needed special kits to operate upon hepatitis patients, for which funds were not available.
"We do not have required number of instruments for routine patients. Many a times, we operate many patients with same instruments due to the workload," he said and added that this problem had been brought to the notice of the hospital executive several times, but to no avail.
An orthopaedic surgeon operated on the hip joint of a patient at a city hospital, who was infected with hepatitis C. The senior surgeon of the ward was not willing to operate the patient upon, because of the risk involved.
"A junior surgeon operated the same patient in the evening shift after receiving hefty amount from him. The patient was allowed for an overnight stay in the ward and was sent home early in the morning," said a staff nurse at the ward.
Not only that but the patients at the nephrology wards of the city hospitals have been suffering, owing to lack of protective measures at wards for the staff. As a result, the patients with HBS needing dialysis are being sent outside the hospital to private centres, while HCV patients are attended to.
A doctor at a city hospital said that they had requested the chief executive to provide a separate room for the HBS patients and make arrangements for vaccination of technicians, but no response was forthcoming.
"How can we allow our technicians to carry out dialysis of the HBS patients, when there is no safety. Many health workers in the public sector hospitals had become infected with hepatitis B or C, who were running from pillar to post to arrange costly drugs for themselves", said nephrologist.
A doctor said that the provincial AIDS Control Programme had asked city hospitals to establish small wards to provide symptomatic treatment to the HIV/AIDS patients. Three months have passed and the hospitals are yet to establish these wards.
According to him, there were stances when AIDS patients needing urgent deliveries were refused at city hospitals. He said that some of the wise patients had lately devised a strategy that they get normal results from the private laboratories to get themselves operated upon.
