No end to MRI woes at Nair Hospital

The MRI machine at BYL Nair Hospital in Mumbai has been dysfunctional for a week due to a lack of helium gas. Patients are being referred to other hospitals. The machine previously broke down in September and the hospital is currently in the process of buying a new one.

Mumbai: In a repeat of events from nearly two months ago, the MRI machine of BYL Nair Hospital, run by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), has been dysfunctional since the past one week due to non-availability of helium gas. Doctors at the hospital have been referring patients – on average, 30 patients underwent MRI there every day – to other BMC-run hospitals.

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The 1.5 Tesla MRI machine became dysfunctional in September too for the same reason, following which the BMC bought helium gas worth ₹15 lakh. But doctors at the hospital said the machine was living on borrowed time, as its end-of-life certificate was issued in January and the manufacturer was refusing to service it. Hospital authorities assured that the process to buy a new MRI machine was underway but did not provide any details about when it might arrive.

On October 14, HT had reported that doctors at Nair Hospital were forced to refer patients to nearby private diagnostic centres and public hospitals as its MRI machine was not working. Dr Sudhir Medhekar, dean, said the gas stock bought at the time got over a week ago, and the hospital has since been sending patients to other BMC-run hospitals with MRI facility such as KEM Hospital in Parel and LTMG Sion Hospital.

“We also have collaborations with Wadia Hospital and other diagnostic centres nearby who are offering services at BMC rates,” said Dr Medhekar.

However, officials and doctors at the hospital including in the radiology department said they had forewarned the authorities about issues with the MRI machine a long time ago, but no action was taken to address the issue.

“When this machine was bought in 2009, it came with a three-year warranty and a 5-year comprehensive maintenance contract. Given our workload, the lifespan was calculated to be 8-10 years. Accordingly, a proposal for a new MRI machine was sent to the central purchase department in 2018,” said an official.

But the health department did not begin the tendering process for a new MRI machine for five years, till 2023, said the official, adding that there was no clarity on when the new machine might arrive.

Meanwhile, hospital authorities ran into teething problems in repairing and running the machine, especially after the end-of-life certificate was issued in January this year. “The manufacturer refused to repair the machine, so it is getting done locally. But even spare parts are not available as it is an old machine,” said a doctor.

“We are spending money, time and energy on the machine for running it temporarily. We told the central purchase department officials that even by purchasing helium gas, the machine won’t run long. They did not pay heed to us and within a month, it has collapsed again,” said another doctor.

Apart from patients, the frequent breakdowns have also affected the practical lessons of 30 the 30 radiology students at the hospital. “ We are sending the students to KEM Hospital and Sion Hospital for practical lessons on MRI and CT scan,” said Dr Medhekar. He said higher officials were in process of purchasing a new machine, but a doctor from the radiology department said they had been instructed to see if the existing machine can be repaired.