The indecision on part of the authorities in installation of CT scan machine is adversely affecting the patients and tarnishing the image of the Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) hospital here.
The important radio diagnostic machine of the biggest Government hospital of the State is non-functional from February 2019. However repeated pleas of the hospital administration to replace the old error prone machine with a new one have failed to yield any result.
It is learnt that some senior officials of the health department are unduly interested to hand over the facility of CT scan to a private player under Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode.
However the process is said to be stuck creating problems for the patients and the hospital administration.
Considering the patient load in the hospital and the fact that the GDMC is planning to start PG courses, at least two CT scan machines are required.
In its recent visit, the team of Medical Council of India (MCI) had expressed shock over the absence of the radio diagnostic facility in the hospital. Interestingly the GDMC has started a diploma course in radio diagnosis in absence of a basic machine like CT scan.
When contacted, the Principal of the GDMC, Dr Ashutosh Sayana said that the state administration has to take the decision on handing over the centre in PPP mode or purchase a new machine. “All we have requested that the GDMC hospital needs the CT scan service restored,’’ he said.
The CT scan machine was installed in the hospital in the year 2004 and as per the norms this machine has become obsolete and needs immediate replacement.
The hospital administration has requested the state administration to replace the machine with modern Coronary CT Angiography machine. However instead of providing a new machine, the state administration deliberated on the option of handing over the centre to a private player on PPP mode which has resulted in delay.
More than 50 CT scans were done by the lone machine daily when it was operational and in absence of this facility the patients are forced to visit expensive private hospitals and diagnostic centres to get the CT done. In absence of CT scan facility in the hospital, the doctors in some cases were advising MRI scans for the patients resulting in extra load on the MRI machine.