Cuttack: Several patients at Cuttack’s Sriram Chandra Bhanja Medical College and Hospital (SCBMCH) were in for hassles Friday after one of the two CT scan machines installed at the premier healthcare snapped unexpectedly.
According to sources, SCBMCH has two CT scan machines — one installed by the hospital itself near the Casualty department, and another set up in a public-private partnership (PPP) mode in the Radiology department. The machine near the Casualty department developed glitches around 11am after scanning just two patients, leaving dozens of others waiting indefinitely.
With hundreds of patients visiting SCBMCH daily for diagnostic scans, the sudden malfunctioning of the crucial machine caused significant distress among them. Patients and their attendants, some of whom had travelled from distant places, were left worried and frustrated. Despite efforts by the hospital staff to fix the problem, the machine could not be restarted.
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Lipi Guin, an attendant of one of the affected patients, expressed with dismay. “It’s incredibly difficult to consult the doctor, complete tests, and return home in a single day. Technical glitches in machines have become a regular affair here. And today, it was the turn of the CT scan machine,” she said.
The waiting patients were advised to return Saturday for the necessary scans. The hospital Superintendent in-charge Lucy Das was unavailable for comments regarding the issue.
Nevertheless, the incident highlights the perennial challenges in the maintenance of essential diagnostic equipment at SCBMCH, emphasising the need for better infrastructure and technical support to avoid such disruptions in the future.
PNN