Patients hit as operation theatre turns into store room

Kathmandu, June 26

One of operation theatres of National Trauma Centre has been serving as a store room for the past two years.

The hospital used to provide surgery services in the room previously and now it has only four operation rooms, affecting service seekers.

If the room that has been turned into a store is brought into use, at least five more patients can benefit from surgeries. The hospital performs surgery on 25 patients in its four operation rooms, on a daily basis.

“Patients in need of knee joint replacement, hip joint replacement and those with multiple fractures complications could benefit if the room were brought into use,” said a source at the centre on condition of anonymity.

The centre is found to be dumping out of service machines in the room. It has also been storing a CT scan machine it received last year from National Academy of Medical Sciences in the same room.

“We turned the operation room into store room as the centre lacked space for storing old and unused machines,”said Pramod Kumar Yadav, medical superintendent at the centre, adding, “We are trying to resume regular health services in the room, at the earliest. We are shifting the machines and goods from the room to a larger room near the intensive care unit.”

Yadav also said the centre required additional experts if it were to provide services from the store turned operation room.

But a source at the centre said that it had adequate skilled staffers.

The centre provides services like burn and plastic surgery, ear nose and throat services, orthopaedics, neurosurgery and general surgery.