13 years on, IHBAS still lacks MRI, CT scan services; govt says it’s on the way

Senior hospital officials aware of the developments in the hospital said that the necessary procedures to procure the MRI machine had been initiated and it was likely to come in the coming months.

For nearly 13 years, the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) in Dilshad Garden has had no MRI or CT scan machines, which doctors said, can delay crucial diagnoses and, often, forces patients to pay for the expensive tests at other hospitals out of pocket.

Representative photo (Getty Images)

In September last year, Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta ordered a complete overhaul of the hospital, which was established in 1993, after a surprise inspection revealed the premier mental health and neurosciences institute has had no MRI or CT scan machine since 2012. Calling the lapse “shocking”, Gupta said work on a new IHBAS building with a large outpatient block will begin soon, and equipping the facility with modern diagnostic tools is her government’s top priority.

Following this, the hospital received approval for procuring an MRI machine. However, more than six months on, the hospital has yet to yet to acquire the machines.

Senior hospital officials aware of the developments in the hospital said that the necessary procedures to procure the MRI machine had been initiated and it was likely to come in the coming months.

“We have been in communication with the health ministry, and necessary procedures have been initiated. The ministry has also given all approvals, and we are likely to get the scan services soon at the institute,” said one official on condition of anonymity.

However, the official did not give an exact timeline on when the diagnostic services would be available or which stage the procurement process was on.

Delhi health minister Pankaj Singh said, “The government is set to revamp IBHAS, and the hospital will soon get an MRI machine. Previous governments left the hospital running without proper diagnosis facilities, however we are working on getting it in the coming months. Further we will also start two new blocks at the hospital.”

IBHAS serves a significant number of neurology patients, with outpatient registrations in neurology exceeding 30,000 annually, according to the hospital’s own figures. A large number of these patients require MRI and CT scans. However, due to the non-availability of these diagnostic tests at the institute, patients have to be either referred to other city hospitals or asked to get the tests done at private diagnostic centres, bearing out-of-pocket expenses, said several doctors on condition of anonymity.

One doctor said, “Neurology basically deals with the brain and spine, and we often require MRI and CT scans, which are quite basic investigations for such patients. The most common cases at the hospital are brain stroke, followed by epilepsy and seizures. In both cases, CT scans and MRIs are fundamental not only for diagnosis but also for treatment purposes at the earliest.”

Since the hospital serves a diverse patient base, primarily from Delhi and its neighbouring states in north India, IHBAS gets a huge number of patients from weaker economic sections. “For them, getting these investigations done at private centres is expensive,” said the doctor.

Even though, Delhi residents are referred under the Delhi Arogya Kosh (DAK) scheme to get investigations done at private facilities, a large number of patients still end up paying from their own pockets. The Delhi Arogya Kosh scheme provides assistance to economically weaker Delhi residents for treatment and high-end diagnostics, such as MRI and CT scans, in government or empanelled private hospitals. The scheme can only be availed by patients with annual family incomes of up to ₹3 lakh who have resided in Delhi for at least three years.

While in some cases people don’t qualify under DAK, others, particularly those in emergency situations, don’t always have the time to wait for the DAK process to be completed and end up paying for it themselves.

“For CT scans, we currently refer our patients to Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital. For MRI, Delhi residents are asked to get the scan done under the DAK scheme; otherwise, patients have to approach private diagnostic centres,” the doctor added.

At private Indian diagnostic centres, an MRI brain scan typically costs between ₹8,000 and ₹15,000, while a CT scan of the head or brain generally ranges between ₹4,00 and ₹6,000.

Officials aware of the matter at Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “The hospital receives a huge number of referred patients for CT scans from IHBAS, and patients sometimes have to wait several weeks to get a date for the scan.”