By Memory Chatonda

Blantyre, April 2, Mana: Government has fixed faulty dialysis machines at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) in Blantyre which were not functional for weeks, compelling the hospital to take patients to Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) in Lilongwe for treatment.

The development, described as inconvenient and costly, was disclosed Tuesday when Deputy Minister of Health, Noah Chimpeni, toured the Dialysis Unit at QECH to appreciate the status of the newly repaired dialysis machines.

The machines stopped functioning for weeks, a situation which QECH Deputy Director responsible for Clinical Services, Dr. William Peno, said created a huge economic burden as the hospital had to transport patients to KCH every fortnight for medical attention.

“We usually assist between 20 to 30 patients on dialysis machines every week from the five machines that cater for the whole Southern Region. After it stopped functioning, it became a challenge as the hospital had to transport patients, medical supplies and nurses to KCH,” he said.

Peno, therefore, said it is pleasing that government repaired the faulty machines.

“As of today (April 1) we have three machines that are functional. Two more machines are being worked on and we anticipate that by Thursday or Friday this week, all five machines should be functional.

“Currently, patients that come from home are dialyzed in the afternoon while those that are admitted at the hospital are dialyzed in the evening. This means that the machines are functional almost 24 hours every day," he said.

Chimpeni expressed relief saying the repairing of the machines is a positive development in the health sector.

“I am happy because patients have been complaining of staying long in Lilongwe. Their complaints have been heard as the machines at QECH are now up and running such that some patients have already been serviced.

“Patients that were admitted to KCH will now travel back to Blantyre to continue with their treatment,” Chimpeni said.

QECH receives about 100 patients per month from districts in the Southern Region for dialysis.

The dialysis machine is used as an artificial kidney to clean blood by filtering out waste and excess fluid when kidneys fail, using a process called hemodialysis, where blood is circulated through a dialyzer and back into the body.

After QECH, Chimpeni also toured Adventist Hospital in Blantyre to appreciate how the facility operates.