Urology surgeries halted at TVM Medical College due to equipment shortage

Thiruvananthapuram: Surgeries at the urology wing of Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital have come to a sudden halt after Health Minister Veena George issued a directive prohibiting the procurement of surgical equipment using funds collected from patients.

The procedures affected include Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery (RIRS), a key treatment for removing kidney stones. These surgeries require a flexible ureteroscope, which has been unavailable at the hospital since October last year. Until now, operations were managed by raising money from patients to purchase the device.

The opposition raised the issue in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, alleging that patients in government hospitals were being forced to buy “everything right from cotton” for their treatment. Following this, the Minister immediately intervened and prohibited the practice. Consequently, patient admissions for urology surgeries were stopped with immediate effect.

A flexible ureteroscope costs around ₹60,000 (including taxes). Each device can typically be used for up to 12 patients; however, in cases of larger stones, its usability reduces to 8.

The Urology Department, headed by Dr CH Haris, recently drew attention to the crisis after he revealed on social media that surgeries were being disrupted due to the non-availability of instruments. He is also reported to have repeatedly written to hospital authorities, demanding the procurement of the device, but without receiving a response.

Meanwhile, the Health Department has granted administrative sanction to the Medical College for purchasing an Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) machine for crushing kidney stones. The demand for this machine has been pending since 2023.

Heart surgeries also in crisis 
The crisis extends beyond urology. Agencies supplying surgical instruments have refused a request from Medical College Superintendent Dr BS Sunil to provide equipment for cardiac surgeries, insisting that dues of the past 18 months, totalling ₹29.56 crore, be cleared first.

Dr Sunil has informed that the pending payments cannot be settled without government funding. As a result, the supply of surgical equipment to the cardiac wing has been suspended since September 1.