Government's veterinary hospital on Jail Road here has gone hi-tech with more facilities for diagnosing and treating animals.
In addition to ultrasound scanning and X ray machines, eight more apparatus were added a month ago, according to K. Ashok Kumar, Assistant Director, Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, who is heading the hospital.
He told The Hindu that the hospital had been given opthalmoscope, otoscope, laryngio scope, foot suction apparatus, stomach wash pump, angelpoise lamp, headlight with transformer and electric surgical quarteriser since March. He said that opthalmoscope was being used to study fundus (interior surface of an eye), cornea and diagnosis of defects in the eye and brain tumour.
Otoscope helped in the study of external and middle internal ear, inflammation growth in the ear and prevalence of foreign bodies in the ear. Laryngioscope was being used to study throat, larynx (voice box), foreign bodies in throat and inflammation of throat.
Foot suction apparatus would suck fluids accumulated in the foot during surgery. It was also being used to suck poisonous food from stomach.
Stomach wash pump came in handy to wash the stomach of the animal that consumed poisoned food.
Angelpoise lamp was used to examine animals externally for abnormalities, headlight with transformer helped in examining the mouth, throat, eyes, ears, nose, and the like. Electric quarteriser helped in surgery to quarterise the bleeding parts. The hospital had an operation theatre, an electronic weighing machine for weighing animals, post-mortem unit, and a laboratory for testing samples like blood, urine and faecal of animals. The laboratory also conducted skin scrapings and other tests, he said. According to Dr. Kumar, the hospital scanned about 20 animals a month through ultrasound scanning machine obtained two years ago. It performed about three to four major surgeries in a week. G. J. Roopesh Kumar, a senior sales executive of a company dealing with animal health products who was at the hospital on Thursday, told The Hindu that this was the third well-equipped veterinary hospital in the State he had come across after Bangalore and Belgaum. “I visit all veterinary hospitals in the State. This is the third high-tech hospital in the State,'' he said.
Like other government departments, the hospital faced dearth of staff.
According to Dr. Kumar, of the 10 sanctioned posts in the hospital, seven were vacant. It included two posts of veterinary officer (doctor), a post of veterinary assistant, and four posts of D group staff.
The hospital was using the services of other staff in the department for serving pet owners. The post of Regional Research Officer under the Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals, Hebbal, Bangalore, in its office located on the hospital premises was vacant.
Dr. Kumar said that he was holding additional charge of the post.
