The leakage of helium gas has become a perennial problem for the MRI machine of Doon hospital here. The team of engineers which examined the cause of trouble in the machine on Monday attributed leakage of gas as the cause for malfunctioning.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a type of scan that uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of the inside of the body. The machine at the Doon hospital — the largest hospital of the State as about 4,000 patients visit its various Out Patient Departments (OPDs) daily — was installed in the year 2009 under Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. Interestingly the machine is facing the problem of leakage of helium gas for the third time 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 administration installed 64 new batteries to the UPS to improve the power supply to the MRI machine. The hospital administration spent around Rs50 lakhs on the repair of the machine. The MRI which started functioning after full two months on 26 March again failed on Monday. The repair of the machine can take time as the helium gas which leaked is not produced in the country and it is imported.
The Principal Medical Superintendent (PMS) of Doon hospital Dr RS Aswal told The Pioneer that the engineers are working on the problem and the Machine is expected to start functioning from Monday. He refuted the reports of a blast in the Machine and said that a leakage of gas occurred from Machine.
The fault in the MRI machine of Doon hospital is a blessing in disguise for the private clinics and hospital that have this facility. 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 Rs8000 — Rs10,000 for an MRI which is available at Rs3,500 at Doon Hospital.