Surgeries halted in Nurpur hospital as machine to sterilise medical equipment out of order

A sudden technical fault in the autoclave machine meant to sterlilise medical equipment at the Nurpur civil hospital has left the patients awaiting surgeries in the lurch.

As per information, the gas kit, an important component, of the machine suddenly burst last Saturday, stalling all minor and major surgeries at the 200-bedded hospital.

The specialty hospital caters to the needs of patients from Nurpur, Jawali, Indora and Fatehpur subdivisions of Kangra district, and the neighbouring Chowari in Chamba district.

The machine, which costs around Rs 16 lakh, is used to decontaminate and sterilise medical equipment and laboratory ware.

Without sterilisation, minor or major surgeries in orthopaedic, ENT, gynaecology and surgery departments in the hospital have been stalled, forcing patients to seek medical attention at private hospitals.

Despite patients being referred to Tanda Medical College, Kangra, by doctors at the hospital , many are preferring private hospitals in Pathankot. Patients have been forced to spend huge amounts of money on their surgeries at these private hospitals. Pregnant women in the advanced stage of deliveries have been greatly affected as, often, caesarean deliveries are not possible without an autoclave machine.

The operation theatre (OT) at the hospital has been locked. Patients visiting in the hospital for scheduled or emergency surgeries have demanded a standby arrangement of this facility, so that surgeries are not stalled in future in case of failure of the autoclave machine. The hospital’s Medical Superintendent Dr Dilwar Singh said immediately after the gas kit burst, he had invited quotations from a Delhi-based private company, which had installed the machine in the hospital.

The hospital administration was doing its best to get the machine repaired as early as possible, he added.

He said it would take at least two weeks to restore the sterilisation facility in the hospital. He had also informed the Health and Family Welfare Department Director about the technical issue, he added.