Bhubaneswar: Health Minister Naba Das on Wednesday informed that the Odisha government has already decided to install six ECMO machines at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack for which the tendering process has already begun. Apart from SCB, ECMO machine will also be installed at Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar.
The life-saving equipment will be procured using the CSR fund, Das added.
Director Medical Education & Training (DMET) Dr CBK Mohanty said that ECMO machines are in limited numbers and it’s procurement is a difficult task.
Apart from this, it also requires trained manpower to operate such units. Earlier, ECMO machines were being used for patients who required lung transplantation.
But during Covid-19 treatment, the demand of such equipment arises when the ventilator fails to work following pneumonia in patients.
The State government is trying to procure such machines from abroad. During a lull in the Covid infection, the use and demand of ECMO machines was limited. According to Mohanty, the cost of the ECMO procedure for the initial phase is around Rs 4 to 5 lakh, and Rs 1 lakh to 2 lakh a day is charged thereafter.
