LAHORE, Nov 28: Some 1,160 electro-medical machines worth over Rs1 billion are lying non-operational or uninstalled in 11 teaching hospitals of the province.

The equipment has been rendered useless by lack of bio-medical technicians, engineers and spares. This has been a great setback.

The hospital managements claim that the suspension of powers of the chief executives of the autonomous hospitals by the government in February last year had contributed to the problem.

Sources told Dawn the cost of 527 non-operational electro-medical equipment had been estimated at around Rs591.52 million. The authorities failed to provide the cost statistics in respect of the remaining 633 machines because these were either acquired by the Health Department’s purchase cell were received as donations.

In Mayo Hospital, it is learnt, 145 machines are lying non-operational. The purchase cost of 20 of these machines was around Rs68.11 million. The cost of remaining 125 machines, purchased through the Medical Store Depot, was not known.

In Jinnah Hospital, 218 electro-medical machines are lying uninstalled. The equipment was supplied in aid by the government of China in 1992 for the Allama Iqbal Medical College project. There are reportedly no technicians available with the hospital to repair these equipments.

Out of the 352 machines available at the Lahore General Hospital, 129 are not in working order. Twelve of the machines are said to have cost Rs48.92 million.

Services Hospitals authorities said 149 of the medical machines worth millions of rupees were lying uninstalled in need of repairs. The hospital authorities estimated a repair cost of around Rs20 million. Two non-operational electro-medical machines, worth Rs14.17 million, are also lying uninstalled in the hospital since 1988-91. The management gave no explanation for the delay in repair.

Four machines, worth Rs15.3 million, are lying in disuse at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology.

According to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital management some equipment in the eye department and the coronary care unit and some ultrasound machines are beyond repair. It The cardiac telemeter system, worth Rs1.89 million, purchased in the year 1995 is reportedly out of operation for lack of spares.

In Lady Willingdon Hospital, a cardiac monitor worth Rs329,100 and a fetal monitor and intrapartum worth Rs158,600 purchased in 1996 and 1999, respectively, are lying uninstalled. In Allied Hospital, Faisalabad, as many as 448 electro-medical equipment/machines have outlived their utility. Spare are no more available for the equipment, making it beyond repair. The hospital had received the equipment in 1983 and 1993 as a donation from the government of Japan. The approximate cost of the equipment at today’s exchange rate is about Rs399.12 million.

In Rawalpindi General Hospital, 48 electro-medical machines are either lying non-operational or uninstalled. Out of the 48 machines, 36 machines are worth Rs14.23 million. The hospital also has a few medical machines purchased in 1996-99 at a cost of Rs2.033 million which were never installed.

In Nishtar Hospital, Multan, seven medical machines worth Rs27.77 million, reportedly are lying non-operational or uninstalled.

In Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur, seven electro-medical equipment purchased in 1999 for Rs1.53 million are lying non-operational or uninstalled.

The minimal access surgery operating laproscope purchased in January 1999 at the cost of Rs1.1 million is also lying uninstalled.

The Governor’s Inspection Team had recently taken a survey to determine the state of non-operational and uninstalled electro-medical equipment at the teaching hospitals. It concluded that the problem had assumed alarming proportions and needed corrective measures at the earliest.

The GIT stated that private clinics in the province usually made use of Taiwanese, Chinese or Korean machinery, which was much cheaper. The government hospitals, however, preferred more costly European and Japanese equipment.

The GIT thought there was a need to rethink the strategy. “A committee of experts should go into the details of the matter,” it suggested.

The GIT also observed the hospitals were either not providing full specifications of the equipment or ordering it piecemeal. It found that the hospitals sometimes procured equipment that was not immediately required.

The GIT said the number of suppliers of hospital equipment and machinery was small and that they indulged in blackmail to dictate their prices.

In Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, and Allied Hospital, Faisalabad, the GIT said, a lot of hospital machinery and equipment was lying idle. “The situation has emerged mainly due to lack of technical know-how and spares. The suppliers should probably be required to maintain machinery for a sufficiently long period of time. During the period, they should train local experts,” the GIT suggested.

As an immediate remedy, the GIT recommended that the suppliers who had supplied the non-operational machinery to various hospitals, should be asked to repair the equipment within a specified period, failing which they should be black-listed and debarred from participating in future biding. In future, it should be ensured at the time of purchase, that the suppliers would be made responsible for operation of the equipment and subsequent maintenance. Purchase instructions and manuals should also be amended accordingly.

The GIT also suggested that the in charge of hospital equipment must be made responsible for keeping the machinery in working order. Record of repairs of medical equipment should be maintained and repair should be accorded priority over new purchase.

The GIT also recommended that the Health Department should consider establishing a central workshop for repair of costly equipment.

The Punjab governor has constituted a five-member committee to investigate why such a large number of medical machines was lying uninstalled and non-operational.

The committee, to be convened by the additional chief secretary, may co-opt technical experts and recommend measures for immediate repair of non-operational and uninstalled machinery and indicate the funds required for the purpose, which might be made available on priority basis.

The committee should also identify equipment which was beyond repair which should be disposed of.

The governor has also directed the committee to compare performance of American, European and Japanese equipment with the cheaper Chinese and Korean machines and plants.