BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani has assured the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) that three new MRI machines will soon be installed in two of the city’s major government hospitals, KEM and Nair.
The commission was informed that the tender process for purchasing the machines has already commenced, signalling an impending resolution to a critical gap in the city’s public healthcare infrastructure.
The SHRC took suo-motu cognisance of the issue following a report in a Marathi newspaper that highlighted the unavailability of MRI machines at KEM and Nair hospitals. The article detailed how patients requiring immediate radiological examinations through MRI were being directed to private hospitals.
Justices KK Tated and MA Sayeed of the SHRC, while addressing the issue, emphasised the severity of the situation, stating, “Patients requiring immediate radiological MRI scans were forced to seek private radiologists, which not only added to their financial burden but also jeopardised their health – a violation of their fundamental rights under Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The delay in procuring new MRI machines amounts to gross negligence under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.”
In response, MCGM officials informed the SHRC that although the MRI machines at KEM and Nair hospitals were non-functional, patients were being redirected to other government hospitals, which including Cooper Hospital, Pandit Madanmohan Hospital, Dharavi UHC, and the JJ Hospital.
Further, the BMC filed an affidavit with the SHRC, detailing the progress of the procurement process. According to the affidavit, the tender for the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of a 3 Tesla MRI machines was issued on July 5, 2024, with online bid submissions closing on July 19. The BMC estimates that the entire process, including manufacturing and installation, will take approximately 12 months.
Following this update, the SHRC noted that with a clear timeline now in place, there was no need for further inquiry into the matter.
