The patients are forced to suffer as the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine of Doon Hospital is non-functional for the last four days. The delay in the repair of the machine at the largest Government hospital here means good business for the private MRI centres.
The malfunctioning of the machine is causing trouble to the patients as most of them had to shelve out extra amount of money for MRI as they are forced to take the services of private centres.
The Head of Radiology Department, Dr Yatindra Singh, told ‘The Pioneer’ that the machine is not functioning probably due to the leakage of the helium gas. He said that the Philips Company, which had installed the machine is also holding its maintenance contract, has been informed about the problem.
Dr Singh said that the number of people in the waiting list for MRI has reached 50. The Principal Medical Superintendent (PMS) of Doon Hospital, Dr RS Aswal, claimed that the machine would start functioning from Tuesday.
Incidentally, the leakage of helium gas has become a perennial cause of trouble for the MRI machine. The machine faced similar problem in the month of January and May last year. Sources revealed that the State Government has to spend a sum of about `25 lakh each time the machine breaks down due to helium leakage. Helium gas is not produced in the country and has to be imported.
One of the senior doctors of the health services expressed his surprise on the regularity at which the machine is breaking down. It is worth mentioning here that the team of engineers which worked upon the earlier fault attributed the leakage of helium gas to the inconsistent power supplies and faulty UPS.
The hospital administration installed 64 new batteries in the UPS to improve the power supply to the MRI machine in which an amount of `20 lakh was reportedly spent.
The private MRI centres of the city always make mullah when the MRI machine of Doon hospital develops some snag as many patients of Doon hospital are diverted towards them. These private centres charge anything from `8,000 to 10,000 for an MRI which is available only for `3,500 at Doon hospital while the MRI of Below Poverty line (BPl) patients is done free of cost.