Non-availability of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan facility in government hospitals at several district headquarters is creating a lot of problems to the patient who cannot afford such type of scanning at private diagnostic centres.
They have to travel to Srinagar to get themselves scanned. Such patients are particularly seen at Super- Speciality Hospital Shireen Bagh and SKIMS Soura.
The patients face lot of inconvenience in the process due to long distance travel and the rush in hospitals here.
At some district headquarters, like that of Kupwara, sufficient funds are not available for buying the MRI scan machine, or at some places like Anantnag the machine has been sanctioned but not installed.
The authorities must not sleep over such matters as it pertains to the health issues of common people, particularly the poor patients.
They must prioritise such matters and pursue at the highest level vigorously so that the patients do not suffer. Non-availability of required funds should not be a constraint.
The higher authorities must allot the funds without any delay. There are reports that a number of poor patients being advised MRI scan do not even visit Srinagar and suffer silently. This is a serious humanitarian issue and cannot be ignored.
The non-government personalities, who have a say, too must play their role in getting the machines sanctioned, bought and installed in the district headquarters by taking up the issue with government at higher levels.
It is not about the MRI machines only, the working condition of available equipment of X-ray, ultra sonography and CT scan, in all government hospitals must be monitored regularly.
It sometimes happens that a machine develops a fault and becomes non-functional for weeks and months due to want of repair. Because of the faulty machines the X-ray, USG and CT scan of patients are not done.
The suffering patients keep on visiting the hospitals to know whether the machine has been repaired or not. There are reports that the hospital authorities at several places do not take up such matters so seriously.
They will have to give up this tendency and they cannot, intentionally or unintentionally, make the poor patients to go to private diagnostic centres. People have been already suffering here on financial front due to various reasons.
Because of financial problems large number of patients prefer getting their tests and scans done in government hospitals.
Several poor patients avoid such tests and scans if not done in government hospital because of non-functional machines or non-availability of the equipment like that in the case of MRI.
The hospital authorities must provide the required facilities to the patients and should not create problems for them by working irresponsibly.