Indus Valley Times

BY SWAGATIKA BHUTIA

BHUBANESWAR, JULY 15: It’s a big relief indeed. Critical Covid-19 patients of Odisha may no longer have to be referred to other states for the life-saving Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) treatment as one such machine was installed at at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar on Thursday.

 AIIMS director B Gitanjali inaugurated the life saving machine on the occasion of the ninth foundation day of the institute in the presence of all doctors and medical staff of ECMO department.

 “There are certain patients for whom ECMO treatment is essential. It’s mostly a medical diagnosis. If there is no improvement by putting a Covid patient on ventilator, the patient is given the support of ECMO to give the lungs rest. I hope the machine will be effective in the treatment of those critical patients,” said Gitanjali.

According to medical sources, another ECMO machine will be installed at the hospital very soon and the treatment will start within a week.

The institute has also hired more technicians to operate the machines, which will help Covid patients, especially those referred outside for treatment.

It is worth mentioning that many critically-ill Covid patients requiring ECMO treatment are now being airlifted to other states like Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Telangana for availing the same.

State Vigilance Director Debasis Panigrahi, who was infected with Covid-19, had been airlifted to Kolkata for ECMO treatment.  Similarly, a critically-ill youth, Abhisek Mohapatra was flown to Kolkata in an air ambulance for advanced ECMO treatment from the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA).

Only a few private hospital in Odisha have ECMO treatment facilities. However, poor people often get fail to avail this treatment as it involves huge cost.

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Photograph: AIIMS director B Gitanjali inaugurating ECMO treatment facility