One MRI scanner for every 42 lakh people : Telangana's government hospitals have just nine

Telangana's government hospitals have only nine MRI machines serving a population of around 3.8 crore, according to data presented by the state health department in the Assembly, The Siasat Daily reported — amounting to roughly one government scanner for every 42 lakh people.

The shortfall is sharper at the district level. Of the state's 33 districts, 29 do not have a government MRI facility at all, with the nine available machines concentrated across eight institutions in just four districts.

Hyderabad accounts for six of them, installed at Gandhi Hospital, Osmania General Hospital, NIMS, TIMS Sanathnagar and MNJ Hospital, with NIMS being the only facility equipped with two machines. The remaining three are located at MGM Hospital in Warangal, RIMS in Adilabad and the Government General Hospital in Jayashankar Bhupalpally.

The state government has announced plans to add nine more MRI machines, with new facilities proposed for Nizamabad, Siddipet, Suryapet, Nalgonda and Mahabubnagar. Additional units have also been announced for Niloufer Hospital, Gandhi Hospital and Osmania General Hospital in Hyderabad.

Doctors and healthcare experts have welcomed the proposed expansion but cautioned that new equipment alone may not improve access to MRI services, according to the report. They pointed to staff shortages across the healthcare system, where nearly 50 per cent of sanctioned posts remain vacant, and warned that a shortage of trained radiologists and MRI technicians could affect the use of the additional machines.