HEART PATIENTS better hold your heart, if you are going to the KGMU CVTS department for a surgery!
Don’t worry! The surgeons are fine, but not the Heart Lung Machine.
The machine was purchased last year. But, it is yet to start assisting surgeons in blood-termperature supply maintenance job during surgeries. In the absence which, the doctors have to do vascular operations without this machine.
The machine was ordered from a German company Sorin Group, in June 2005 and it was dispatched in two boxes. One box contained the entire machine worth Rs 60 lakh while another box had one of its component ‘heat and cool’ device worth Rs 6 lakh, which was one tenth of the cost of machine.
It was this small box that went missing during transportation. The bigger box reached here in July. The company officials were informed about the missing box. Initially they reacted courteously and said if there was any delay in delivery they would correct it free of cost, wherever be the small box.
But later on they too found that it was not their fault and in reply they showed the dispatch documents from the Wital Air Cargo, stating dispatch was done for both the boxes.
This communication between KGMU and the company representatives took one year to confirm that both the boxes were dispatched. Then came the turn of Custom Clearing Agent Krishna Kumar Sharma. He was also contacted but he is yet to reply about the missing box.
{{/usCountry}}This communication between KGMU and the company representatives took one year to confirm that both the boxes were dispatched. Then came the turn of Custom Clearing Agent Krishna Kumar Sharma. He was also contacted but he is yet to reply about the missing box.
{{/usCountry}}The deputy registrar Col Fasih Ahmed has initiated communication with the agent demanding delivery of the leftover component.
Interestingly, there was tussle between faculty members when the purchase order for this machine was being finalised in June 2005. The tussle was for technical specifications prepared by the purchase committee, rejected by the faculty of the CVTS department on grounds that the patient care would be better if specifications given by the faculty are accepted.
Finally, the specification from the department of CVTS was accepted by purchase committee. But one year after all that exercise the machine still stands defunct.