7 GMC hospitals and 1 CT scan, lone MRI machine
Patients have to wait for weeks together to get scans done
The seven associated hospitals of Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar have a lone CT scan and only MRI machine to cater a daily rush of over 7000 patients.
The GMC-associated hospitals include SMHS Hospital, Bone and Joints Hospital, Chest Diseases Hospital, GB Pant Children Hospital, Lal Ded Maternity Hospital, Chitranjan Mobile Hospital and Psychiatric Disease Hospital.The lack of facility leads to extra burden of referral patients on SMHS, the lone hospital having the facility of CT scan.
Similarly, all the patients visiting GMC-associated hospitals who need emergency MRI scan are being referred to Bone and Joint Hospital, where MRI machine was installed recently on public-private partnership basis.
Official sources said SMHS Hospital daily receives more than 50 patients from other allied GMC Srinagar hospitals. Most of the patients needing CT scan are referred from B&J Hospital to SMHS hospital, sources added.
Ironically, most of the patients have to wait for two to three weeks for their turn following the piled up cases.
“The patients who need urgent diagnosis following the risk of poly-trauma are the worst sufferers,” sources said.
Similarly, CD Hospital at Drugjun receives 20-25 patients for CT and MRI scans to identify the specific ailments.
“There are some severe conditions including lung cancer and Hemopisis among patients which need immediate examination. But, they usually get delayed dates due to extra burden on SMHS hospital and new MRI facility at B&J hospital,” said a doctor at CD hospital.
“Despite having a sanctioned post of a Radiologist, this hospital does not have CT scan machine. We should have at least two CT Scan and one MRI machine to benefit patients in identifying diseases early,” he said.
At GB Pant Hospital, children with neurological and behavior disorders have to suffer tremendously as doctors find it difficult to diagnose them in absence of MRI and CT scan machines.
“Last year, we sent a proposal to government for the machines, but we are yet to get them,” said a doctor.
While there is an overall lack of diagnostic equipments in hospitals across the Valley, the absence of a MRI and CT scan facility is making the patients suffer. It is making the patients roam from pillar to post for want of ‘specialized tests’, doctors said.
According to medicos, no Valley-based hospital is able to handle a patient who is subjected to multiple traumatic injuries.
“If a person is suffering from head, leg and abdominal injury simultaneously, he is shifted to Bone and Joint Surgery Hospital for leg care and MRI, referred to the SMHS hospital for CT scan and later to SK Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura for head treatment,” a medico at the SMHS hospital said on conditions of anonymity.
“During the transit, the patient gets neglected on several fronts and can die. So if we have all the diagnostic facilities under one roof, we don’t need to subject the patient to repeated inconvenience,” added a senior doctor.
To avoid delay for having CT scan and MRI, the patients turn to private laboratories and are forced to pay exorbitant charges.
Due to economic restraints and inaccuracy of the private laboratories, good number of patients has lost their lives so far in Valley, doctors said.
A ‘computerized tomography’ (CT) (or ‘computerized axial tomography’ (CAT) scan) uses a computer that takes data from several X-ray images of structures inside a human’s or animal’s body and converts them into pictures on a monitor.
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scanning is a medical investigation that uses an exceptionally strong magnet and radio frequency waves to generate image of your body.
