1 MRI Machine catering to entire Jammu region

Patients getting dates after 3 to 4 months

JAMMU: Despite tall claims, the state health care in Jammu could be well assessed from the fact that there is only one MRI Machine for all the hospitals of Jammu region including the premier Government Medical College and Hospital (GMC&H), its Associated Hospitals.
“There is only one MRI Machine installed at the GMC and the patients visiting GMC’s Associated Hospitals like SMGS Hospital, the premier maternity and pediatric hosiptal of Jammu region, Super Specialty Hospital, Chest Diseases Hospital, Dental Hospital and Psychiatric Hospital are all dependent on one MRI Machine available at GMC,” sources said.
The scenario, they said, is such that patients are given long dates for the vital MRI test, ranging from three to four months.
Many a time, there are patients who are in emergency and require urgent MRI test but due to such long pendency and huge amount of burden, we tell the patients to get this MRI test done from the market,” a senior doctor at Super Specialty Hospital told The News Now.
Many patients who are not in emergency also require urgent MRI for their further diagnosis like spine injury, cervical, migraine etc, the doctor said.
Meanwhile, sources informed that on an average, around thirty (30) to forty (40) patients visiting OPDs of different departments at GMC and Super Specialty Hospital are advised MRI by the doctors so that their actual diagnosis could be started.
This figure is apart from the number of patients who are advised MRI in the Associated Hospitals of the GMC, they said.
“That number is also around 20,” they informed.
However, on an average, around 15 to 20 MRI tests are being done at the GMC which is far-2 less than the required number.
One MRI tests takes around half an hour so in the full duty hours of 7 to eight hours, only 15 to 20 tests can be done, sources said.
Making things worse is the fact that the MRI tests cannot be conducted at the GMC due to certain limitations.
The scenario is forcing the patients to get MRI test done from the market at much-2 higher rates. At GMC, the rate is a little over Rs 2000, while in the market this tests costs more than Rs 5000.

Updated On 9/17/2019 9:06:03 AM