Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government has decided to install life-saving Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) machine in Capital Hospital here.
The tendering process has already started and CSR funds will be utilised for the purpose, said Health Minister Naba Das on Wednesday.
Earlier, the government had announced to set up a special ECMO unit at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. The state government will procure six ECMO machines and these will be installed in the Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery Ward of the hospital.
There is no ECMO machine in any government hospital in the state as yet due to which, three serious patients have already been airlifted to other states in just a week’s time.
One Amrit Pradhan from Ganjam was airlifted to Chennai. Vigilance Director Debasis Panigrahi was airlifted to Kolkata on Tuesday and Abhishek Mohapatra from Bhadrak to Kolkata on Wednesday.
Odisha has only two ECMO machine and these are in private hospitals – SUM and KIMS.
Also Read: Special ECMO Unit To Be Set Up In Cuttack’s SCB For Treatment Of Critical COVID Patients
