Faulty machines mar haematology services

Our Correspondent

UNA, OCTOBER 20

Vacant posts of lab technician and faulty machinery at the Haematology Department of the Una district hospital have been causing harassment to patients coming here for blood tests for the last few months.

The department is equipped with fully automatic Elisa counter for hormone tests, semi-automatic Elisa counter for dengue, HIV and other viral tests, blood biochemistry analyser and a complete blood counting haematology analyzer, in all estimated around Rs 45 lakh.

The Elisa counter, purchased about 2 years ago at Rs 22 lakh, is non-functional for three months while the biochemistry analyser, purchased at Rs 4 lakh in 2005, has technical snags for which correspondence with the firm has been going on for the last two months.

Hospital records reveal that the portion of the biochemistry analyzer, housing part maintenance kits and sample syringes has some snags, which need to be fixed. The firm is awaiting transfer of funds to its bank account after which it will send its engineers to make the machine functional.

An employee said while the machine was functional, the accuracy of the reports was doubtful.

The employee said the Elisa reader machine was lying non-functional for want of serum cups and reagents. Consequently, the patients have to take the services of private laboratories.

It is also learnt that there are only two lab technicians against five sanctioned posts at the Una district hospital.