The Angiogram machine at the Karapitiya Hospital has been out of service for nearly a month, leaving heart patients in critical need of diagnostic procedures at serious risk, Ceylon Today newspaper reported.
With a growing backlog, patients seeking the essential test face long delays, with appointments reportedly being scheduled for next year.
Those who had already secured dates are now left without access to the procedure due to the malfunction, the report said.
As private-sector alternatives require additional expenses, families of patients have urged hospital authorities to urgently repair the machine.
The Karapitiya Hospital serves patients from Galle, Matara, Hambantota, and beyond, and the lack of a functioning angiogram machine has placed a large number of individuals at risk.
Hospital Director, Dr. S.D.U.M. Ranga said that the machine stopped functioning due to a burned-out tube.
A replacement part has already been ordered and repairs will be completed as soon as possible, the Director said. (Newswire)