Helium gas used to revive MRI machine at busy Nair hospital

Dr Sudhir Medhekar, dean, said MRI services will be given to hospitalised patients on priority and those in emergency. The 1600-bed civic run hospital’s radiology department conducts MRI of 30 people including inpatient, emergency services and outpatients each day.

MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to use helium gas to revive BYL Nair Hospital’s MRI machine. The machine, certified as end-of-life in January, had been out of operation for nearly two months, causing disruptions in diagnostics and treatment.

On October 14, HT had reported how doctors were forced to refer patients to nearby private diagnostic centres and public hospitals after the MRI machine stopped working in the beginning of the month. (Satish Bate/HT PHOTO)

On Wednesday, the hospital successfully restarted MRI services with the help of helium gas – a temporary fix for a machine purchased in 2009. Over the last few years, the equipment suffered frequent breakdowns, necessitating multiple repairs.

On October 14, HT had reported how doctors were forced to refer patients to nearby private diagnostic centres and public hospitals after the MRI machine stopped working in the beginning of the month.

Dr Sudhir Medhekar, dean, said MRI services will be given to hospitalised patients on priority and those in emergency. The 1600-bed civic run hospital’s radiology department conducts MRI of 30 people including inpatient, emergency services and outpatients each day.

“Sending patients to private labs resulted in a compromise in the crucial time of the treatment period,” said a doctor from the neurology department. The other patients getting affected are from the orthopaedic and surgical departments.

The hospital had submitted a proposal to purchase a new MRI machine in 2018. “Our present machine came with a three-year warranty and five years’ comprehensive maintenance contract. With the kind of workload we have, the lifespan of the machine was calculated to be 8-10 years. Accordingly, the proposal for the new MRI was sent to the Central Purchase Department,” said the official, adding that the tendering process began only in 2023.

However, there is an uncertainty of the machine fully functioning with the helium gas, given the workload. “It will work for a maximum of two to three months,” said the official.