Patna, March 25: Cutting across party lines, legislators today cornered health minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey over the sorry state of affairs at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH).

The MLAs demanded immediate repair or replacement of the defunct C-Arm Image Intensifier TV System machine, hindering treatment of patients with kidney problems. They also sought an explanation from the minister on the government’s failure to waive charges on pathology and radiology tests.

Choubey fumbled for words after RJD MLA Akhtarul Islam Shaheen claimed that the patients in the premier medical college were at the mercy of God. He regained composure after a while only to lose to it when he was nailed by one of his own partymen —BJP MLA Sanjay Singh Tiger.

Tiger said the C-Arm Image Intensifier TV System machine was defunct in PMCH for a long time but nobody was bothered to rectify it. “The machine costs over Rs 10 lakh and the surgery department of PMCH had written to the superintendent of the hospital on March 23, 2010 for repairing it. But the hospital authorities have done nothing,” Tiger said.

Conceding that the machine had been defunct for over a year after a fan fell on it, Choubey said the PMCH authorities had asked its supplier to repair it. “An engineer came with the supplier for inspection and declared it cannot be fixed in Bihar. The machine has to be taken to Mumbai for repair. We are trying to fix it,” said the minister.

RJD MLA Raghvendra Pratap Singh shot back at Choubey, saying: “I fail to understand why the government cannot purchase a new machine for PMCH.”

After Tiger, it was the turn of BJP MLA Sanjay Kumar Sarogi to corner Choubey. He charged the minister with failing to implement the government’s decision to provide pathology and radiology tests free of cost to patients in the medical colleges, including PMCH. Sarogi reminded the minister that the government had taken this decision in July, 2009.

The health minister said PMCH and other medical colleges would have ultra modern test facilities on a public-private mode. The private party would be paid for the tests at the rate charged at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi. “However, an amendment has to be made in the government’s resolution which has to be cleared by the cabinet,” Choubey said, stressing that he would try to start the scheme in April or in May.

Choubey’s reply failed to satisfy the MLAs. They declared that no cabinet clearance was needed for starting the scheme.

The health minister also came in for criticism for failing to appoint degree holders in the Bihar College of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy in Patna. He failed to explain why the appointment process had been pending since 1998.

The college is at present being run by diploma holders of the subject. Recently, he came under severe criticism for appointments made in Patna-based Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences.