Broken DMCH Radiotherapy Machine
Cancer patients’ lives hang in the balance
A radiotherapy machine at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) worth around Tk 20 crore has been out of order since Monday morning creating apprehension among cancer patients on consequences of the interruption in their scheduled therapies.
At present, 44 patients were receiving doses from the machine every day but they were not transferred to two other machines present at DMCH.
On why the patients were not being transferred, Associate Prof Golam Mohiuddin Faruque of the DMCH radiotherapy department told The Daily Star that the two machines were occupied.
“It is not possible to accommodate more patients in those two machines,” he said.
Commenting on the risk of an interruption in radiotherapy, Associate Prof Dr Shahida Alam of radiotherapy at Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital in Bogra said cancerous cells can become aggressive and spread.
“Interruptions can also reduce chances of controlling or killing the malignant cells for which the radiotherapies were given,” she said.
A 25-year-old female patient, on condition of anonymity, said, “Doctors told me that it was crucial to complete my radiotherapy doses without interruption. I have been staying at the hospital for the therapy is my only hope for a cure.”
She had a cancerous brain tumour removed four months ago and her doses, five times a week, were coming to an end this month.
Each dose at DMCH costs a minimum Tk 200 and she cannot afford doses at private hospitals where costs are at least five times higher.
Moreover, the patients complained that the authority was not providing any date on when the therapies would resume.
DMCH Director Brig General Md Mostafizur Rahman told The Daily Star that he had informed the authorities concerned and they were trying to repair the machine as soon as possible.
The machine had previously broken down for six days in February and around Tk 1 crore had to be spent to fix it, the administration sources informed.
-With The Daily Star input
