The renal transplant ICU at the Super Speciality Block (SSB) in the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH), which has been shut for over a month for maintenance of the air-conditioning system, is expected to resume functioning in two weeks’ time, MCH authorities have said.
Renal patients awaiting transplants, after completing all pre-surgical formalities, have had to go back to dialysis.
The repairs turned out to be complicated. “The coil of the air handling unit of the A/C needed replacement. The representatives of the A/C firm said that it was a custom-made spare, not readily available. Orders had to be placed with the company. They said the standard time for manufacture, delivery and installation was six weeks. We have issued the supply orders and are awaiting the spares,” sources said.
Though there is an annual maintenance contract for the A/C systems, expensive spares – this one costs nearly Rs.3 lakh – are not covered under the contract.
The alternative was to vacate another ICU or have another area converted as ICU, but this was also not possible as other maintenance works are also on in the hospital. “Organ transplant is risky and unless the patient is maintained in a sterile environment, there are possibilities of post-surgical complications or even death,” a transplant surgeon said.
