Memories are painful, says technician who got stuck in MRI unit in 2014

On November 8, 2014, Ramaiah got stuck in the machine for nearly four hours owing to a technical glitch.

Saturday’s Nair Hospital incident reminded technician Swami Ramaiah, 43, of the day he got stuck in an MRI machine at the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), the Navi Mumbai division of the Tata Memorial Hospital, Parel.

Relatives of Maru, who died at Nair hospital. (FILE)

On November 8, 2014, Ramaiah got stuck in the machine for nearly four hours owing to a technical glitch. “I am perfectly fine now and am getting back to my normal routine. Saturday’s incident reminded me of that day. I never talked about it because it is painful to recount,” said Ramaiah, who was offered Rs1-crore compensation by manufacturers of the machine.

Ramaiah said there was a misunderstanding between the doctor and a ward boy that caused the accident. When the doctor asked the ward boy to get an oxygen mask, he walked inside the room with a cylinder, which led to him being dragged across the room and getting pinned against the machine. Ramaiah was caught in between the ward boy and the machine, and could be removed only four hours later. Ramaiah suffered temporary paralysis because of extreme pressure on his lower limbs and a psychological trauma of the incident. He is undergoing psychological counselling, but his limbs have recovered after treatment and exercise.

Ramaiah said he returned to work in the MRI unit in February 2016. Just this time, he makes sure no metal object enters the room even accidentally.