Mumbai, Dec 19: Emergency diagnostic services at the Jogeshwari Trauma Hospital have reportedly been disrupted due to the non-availability of CT scan technicians at least once or twice a week, raising serious concerns about patient safety and staffing management within the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) health system.
Night-Time CT Services Frequently Unavailable
Hospital sources confirmed that the CT scan department has remained non-functional during night hours—from 9 pm to 8 am—on multiple occasions due to the absence of technicians.
For several months, CT services have functioned erratically, sometimes shutting down after 9 pm and at other times remaining unavailable between 2 pm and 9 pm, depending entirely on technician availability.
Trauma Centre Handles Critical Emergency Cases
Jogeshwari Trauma Hospital, officially known as the HBT Trauma Care Centre, is a BMC-run facility in Jogeshwari East with over 200 beds. The hospital is primarily dedicated to emergency and trauma care, treating road traffic accident victims, patients with severe injuries, fractures, head trauma, and other critical cases. It provides limited emergency medical and surgical care rather than routine or long-term admissions.
Delays Can Be Life-Threatening
Given the high volume of accident and medico-legal cases handled by the hospital, timely CT imaging is often crucial. “In trauma cases, delays of even an hour can mean the difference between life and death,” said a senior doctor, requesting anonymity.
Patients Referred to Cooper Hospital
During periods when CT services are unavailable, patients are referred to Cooper Hospital in Vile Parle. Earlier this month, several emergency cases had to be shifted for imaging due to the disruption.
Hospital Administration Responds
Dr Pravin Bangar, Medical Superintendent of Jogeshwari Trauma Hospital, acknowledged a shortage of CT scan technicians and said the recruitment process is underway. However, he denied that patient care is being compromised.
“At present, we have three CT scan technicians working in three shifts to ensure round-the-clock services. However, once a week, when one technician is on eight-hour leave, the facility becomes unavailable during that period,” Dr Bangar said.
He added that in emergencies, patients are immediately referred to Cooper Hospital for CT scans. “The hiring process is underway, and we expect additional technicians at the earliest,” he said.
Experts Flag Administrative Lapses
Health experts stated that the situation has highlighted deeper administrative issues within the civic health system. Until recently, the nearby VN Desai Hospital had both X-ray and CT scan facilities with adequate technical staff.
However, after the CT scan services were fully privatised, the existing technicians were not effectively redeployed to hospitals facing shortages.
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“Why were these technicians not temporarily assigned to Jogeshwari Trauma Hospital, particularly when Siddharth Hospital and Karmaveer Dadasaheb Gaikwad (KMJ Phule) Hospital in Vikhroli are currently undergoing renovation?” ask health experts.
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