LARKANA, March 2: Two lithotripters installed at the department of urology in the Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH) have developed faults, which have rendered them unusable.

Prof Dr Malik Hussain Jalbani, head of the department, confirmed to Dawn that the machines were out of order and that he had already informed CMCH Medical Superintendent Dr Insaf Magsi about it.

Lithotripter is a device that pulverises kidney stones by passing shockwaves through the targeted part of the body. The procedure causes fragmentation of stones into such a small size that they could pass through urine.

The machines had been purchased about five years ago and now their electrode plates have developed faults and need immediate repair or replacement, according to Prof Jalbani.

“Because of overuse, the machines are giving incorrect readings. It is due to faults that we have stopped doing lithotripsy,” Prof Jalbani said.

On an average, between 12 and 14 patients are treated through lithotripsy in a 40-minute session. Patients from upper Sindh and the adjoining areas of Balochistan benefit from this facility at the CMCH.

Prof Jalbani said that letters and reminders had been sent to the officials concerned for the repair of the machines and a bio-medical engineer had tried to rectify the faults in one machine but in vain. “The machine still does not work properly,” he added.

The two machines had been purchased without consulting the urologists working in the department, according to sources at the CMCH.

Another senior professor requesting anonymity described both machines as substandard.

The first lithotripter was installed in 1993 when Prof Dr Noor Ahmed Baloch headed the department of urology. One of the two lithotripters completed its life and was accordingly abandoned. “We need C-Arm Fluoroscope to carry out advanced procedures,” said Prof Jalbani.

When contacted, Dr Magsi told this reporter that he had recently assumed the charge of the MS. “I did receive the complaint about defects in lithotripters,” he said, adding that he had contacted the manufacturers for the repair.