Andaman gets new Dialysis unit

Port Blair, June 3 (UNI) Andaman and Nicobar Islands have got a new Dialysis Unit in the Govind Ballap Pant Hospital, the biggest hospital in the islands run by Government.

The unit is equipped with four state-of-the art machines, which has the capacity of performing eight dialyses a day.

Dr Shiv Shankar Singh, Medical Specialist of G B Pant Hospital today told reporters that the first dialysis machine was installed here on July 15, 2002. After a year, another machine was acquired from Sri Rama Chandra Medical College, Chennai and since then, the number of the dialysis patients had increased and therefore, two more machines had been acquired and installed, he confirmed.

Dr Singh said that the unit is also having a Reverse Osmosis(RO) plant, which had been installed the same day for purification of water, required for dialysis.

With this, the care provided to the dialysis patients has immensely improved. At present, the unit is managed by two Medical Specialists, one Dialysis Technician, two trained nurses and one ward attendant, he said.

The Department of Health Services is planning to send two more staff nurses and one ward attendant for training in dialysis care at tertiary level care hospital in the mainland India.

Besides, it has also planned to acquire two more Dialysis machines within the next six months to cater to the needs of more patients, he added.

G B Pant hospital is the only hospital in these islands, which has specialised treatment.

UNI