Hospital dean blames delay on administrative hurdles on part of central purchasing department
The civic body wrote in an affidavit in August that the CT section would be functional by September-end. File pic
It has been months since Nair Hospital has lacked a computerised tomography (CT) scan machine. The machine was supposed to be up and running by September. However, patients still have to run to other diagnostic centres to get scanned.
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The hospital's dean, Dr Sudhir Medhekar, attributed the delay to administrative hurdles on the part of the central purchasing department.
Since June, mid-day has been highlighting the issue and it revealed how patients at Nair Hospital are incurring expenses due to the lack of a CT scan machine, as the staff is failing to inform them about tie-ups with other government facilities. The hospital has a demand of about 100 CT scans per day.
The state human rights commission had taken suo-motu cognisance of the issue based on mid-day's reports and initiated proceedings against the Brihanmumbai
Municipal Corporation (BMC).
The last hearing was held in August, which is when the BMC had filed an affidavit. “Functioning of CT scan section will be in operative condition from the end of September, i.e., up to September 30, 2023, for the ready patients and to avoid inconvenience. In the meantime. the hospital managements have already taken precautionary measures by sending needy patients to the other BMC and government hospitals,” the civic body said in its affidavit.
In its proceedings against the BMC, the commission found the municipal corporation violating human rights. “It is surprising that to repair the scan machine, the corporation requires so much time. It is the duty of the corporation and the hospital to provide medical facilities to patients, whoever comes there,” the commission had said in its proceedings.
The next hearing is scheduled for October 12. Meanwhile, the hospital's radiologist, Dr Dev Shetty, said that the facility was also supposed to receive ultrasound machines last month. “They were supposed to come from the jumbo centre, but it is still stuck in paperwork. There are six ultrasound machines in the hospital right now."
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