Ex-MNS corporator Sandip Deshpande has warned the BMC and the King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital administration to resolve the issue of non-functional MRI and CT scan machines before July 3. If the deadline isn't met, the party will “take action in its style”, he vowed.
CT Scan machine available but technically unusable
However, the civic body said that both the sections are working. Describing the situation in detail, it pointed out that the KEM hospital has two CT scan machines, but one has broken down. To replace it, a new imported machine has been brought and it will be assembled and installed in a few weeks. A patient, who had come from Sindhudurg district, was asked to get his CT scan done from a private centre as a patient had vomited in the lone machine, leading to technical issues, said a hospital source.
Hospital gets ₹40 lakh for maintaining machines
Averring that patients have no option but to visit private hospitals for getting a CT scan or MRI done, Deshpande underlined that the BMC's health Budget for 2023-24 is around ₹3,000 crore. Still, the hi-tech machines are lying defunct for the last few months.
According to a hospital source, there are two CT scan machines and one is non-functional from 2022. Another machine is operating round-the-clock hence it encountered a technical snag, and has been non-functional for three-four days. It is not the first time that machines have developed technical faults. The hospital gets ₹40 lakh for the maintenance of the machines, but their upkeep is neglected, the source added.
The BMC said, “There is a contract between the KEM and Wadala hospitals. The latter will conduct CT scan and MRI of patients referred by the former. The KEM hospital conducts 100-120 CT scans daily. Priority is given to emergency patients and indoor patients while OPD patients are sent to other hospitals.”
