The Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine of associated hospital of Doon Medical College (DMC) could take at least 15-20 days to get repaired. Perturbed by its regular breakdown, the Phillips India limited, the manufacturer of the machine which also holds a 10-year maintenance contract of the machine has decided to change its entire magnet assembly.
The in-charge of the machine, Mahendra Bhandari told The Pioneer that the engineers of the Phillips India has decided to change the magnet of the machine as the machine was regularly breaking down. He said that this component of the machine is being brought from Netherlands.
The magnet assembly is expected to reach Chennai later this week after which it would be transported via road to the state capital. The important machine of the hospital broke down on March 9 hardly seven days after it was repaired by the engineers. The Helium gas chamber of the machine usually gets leaked due to which malfunctions regularly. The machine developed snags three times during last year also.
The radiology department of the Doon hospital is the only facility in the government sector in Dehradun where MRI machine is installed. More than 25 MRIs are done on an average in a day in the hospital at a subsidized rate. The Phillips India limited installed the Rs7 Crore and 1.5 Tesla MRI machine in the hospital in year 2009.
Meanwhile the patients are bearing the brunt of the malfunction of the machine. It is learnt that waiting list of patients for MRI has crossed 400. The cost of an MRI in the hospital is only Rs3,500 and the Below Poverty line (BPl) patients do not have to pay anything for MRI here. The private centres charge about Rs7,000 to Rs10,000 for an MRI.