Cancer patients suffer as CMCH’s lone brachytherapy machine lying out of order
The only brachytherapy machine, a type of internal radiation therapy that is often used to treat cancers, of Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) has been out of order for over three months bringing suffering to the patients.
Due to complications related to payment of installment of the machine, the local supplier company stopped providing any service. The hospital authorities said despite repeated requests, the supplier is not taking any initiative to repair the machine.
The machine went out of order on June 6 causing sufferings to the patients especially those who have cervical cancers.
The brachytherapy service started in CMCH Radiotherapy Ward in 2019 May. According to sources, brachytherapy service is not available at any hospital in the greater Chattogram area other than CMCH.
Sources at CMCH Radiotherapy Ward said around 2,500 female patients are given treatment in the ward on average a year, adding that, of them, 30% have cervical cancer.
According to cancer specialists, around 90 percent of patients with cervical cancer will need brachytherapy at some point in their treatment.
Patients who can afford, go to Dhaka for availing of the service and those who cannot have been waiting for the tragic fate.
When contacted, Prof Dr Sazzad Mohammad Yousuf, head of the Radiotherapy Ward at CMCH, said the brachytherapy machine went out of order on June 6. A technical glitch was found in the treatment planning system (TPS) of the machine."
"The hospital does not have any posts for biomedical engineers and so it becomes very difficult to maintain such expensive and very essential machines," he said putting importance on the appointment of a biomedical engineer.
In addition to cervical cancer, patients with other cancer types including oesophagal, oral and tongue cancers who cannot be treated with external radiotherapy and who cannot be operated on, have the option of treatment with brachytherapy.
CMCH Director Brig Gen Shamim Ahsan said the Central Medical Store Depot (CMSD) allocated the machine for CMCH. "We have informed the matter to them in writing."
"I have also contacted the supplier company of the machine several times, they said they had issues over payment and a discussion is ongoing over the matter," he added.
"I have also contacted the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The ministry officials said a new machine would be supplied to us next year. We are also trying to repair the present one," said the CMCH director.
However, the CMCH director could not say when the patients would be able to get the brachytherapy service in the hospital.
SM Shafiquzzaman, chief executive of Projukti International, the supplier of the machine said the mother company Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG, a German company, has not got the payment for the machine yet.
"We cannot go for any maintenance of the machine until the mother company asks as to do so," he said.