The Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine of Doon hospital here resumed its operation on Monday, two weeks after it broke down on May 19 due to leakage of Helium gas. The hospital authorities informed that 15 patients were given services by the machine on Monday.
About 200 patients are in the waiting list for MRI scan as the machine was out of operation since May 19.
The Doon hospital is the largest Government hospital of the State. It caters to the patients from not only the State but also from neighbouring districts of Uttar Pradesh.
The 1.5 Tesla MRI machine of the hospital was installed in the year 2009 under Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode when the State Government entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Mahajan Imaging Private limited for a period of five years. MRI machine uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed scan images of interior of body.
It is worth mentioning here that the machine broke down thrice due to the leakage of helium gas since its installation.
The machine faced similar problem on January 26 and remained non-functional for two months.
The team of engineers which worked upon the earlier fault attributed the leakage on the inconsistent power supplies and faulty UPS.
The hospital spent Rs 50 lakh and installed 64 new batteries to the UPS to improve the power supply to the MRI machine. This time too the team of engineers took two weeks to fix the problem.
The Head of Radiology Department of Doon hospital Dr Yatindra Singh told The Pioneer that the fault is fully repaired now.
The MOU with the Mahajan Imaging Private limited ends on June 7 and the State Government has decided that the Machine would now be operated by the staff of
Doon hospital.
Singh said that the hospital is fully geared up to take the responsibility of operating the machine on its own.
The regular faults in the MRI machine of Doon hospital are a blessing for the private clinics and hospitals.
The malfunctioning of MRI at Doon hospital means good business to these private operators as hospital patients are diverted towards them. These private centres charge between Rs 8,000 and 10,000 for an MRI which is available at Rs 3,500 at Doon Hospital. The MRI of Below Poverty line (BPl) patients is done free of cost at Doon hospital.