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In Covid-19 times, CT scan machine at this prominent Prayagraj hospital is lying non-functional
At a time when doctors are increasingly depending on CT scan of patients to confirm Covid-19 infection and determine the scale of its impact on vital organs like lungs, the CT scan machine of Tej Bahadur Sapru (Beli) Hospital is lying non-functional for over two weeks now
At a time when doctors are increasingly depending on CT scan of patients to confirm Covid-19 infection and determine the scale of its impact on vital organs like lungs, the CT scan machine of Tej Bahadur Sapru (Beli) Hospital is lying non-functional for over two weeks now.
This despite the fact that the CT scan machine in Beli hospital is just the second one in a government hospital in the district, the only other one is installed at SRN Hospital.
The CT scan costs ₹5,300 to 5,500 at private diagnostic labs in the market against ₹600 at government hospitals for regular patients and the scan is free for those suffering from Covid-19.
RT-PCR tests detect coronavirus in around 80 per cent of the cases and for confirmation in other cases clinical features and CT scans/chest X-rays are being used to rule out false negatives in symptomatic patients followed by a repeat test after 24 hours.
“However, people like me having kin suffering from Covid-19 have to get it done at private labs paying almost 9 to 10 times the cost despite being able to ill-afford it,” said Manas Srivastava, a shop owner and a resident of Pratapgarh whose father is undergoing treatment at SRN hospital in Prayagraj.
In Prayagraj, the scanning facility under the government system is presently available only in SRN Hospital, which is limited to the patients of this very hospital. Here the screening of Covid patients is being done free of cost whereas the patients admitted in other wards (non-Covid) have to pay ₹600 for the CT scan of the chest.
“We are on an average performing 50-60 scans every day here,” shared a senior doctor of SRN Hospital.
“The CT scan fee for Chest at SRN Hospital is ₹600. However, the screening of Covid patients is free of cost and we are doing it every day for our patients,” said Gautam Tripathi, deputy superintendent in charge of SRN Hospital.
As for Beli Hospital’s machine non-functional for more than 15 days, the hospital administration claims that it has appealed to senior officials several times, but no one seems to be listening.
“We are trying to get it fixed,” said Kiran Malik, chief medical superintendent of Beli Hospital.
