Patna, July 6: Patients who visit Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) can now breathe easy as the state health department has floated a tender to set up a CT scan machine on a public-private-partnership mode.

The existing machine in the emergency ward of the 1,675-bed health hub has been defunct for the past two years causing much hardship to patients who cannot afford the costly diagnosis at private centres.

Waking up to the needs of the patients, the government has promised that the machine would be made functional soon. “The tender has been floated and private agencies have been invited for installation and operations. The process should be completed within 45 to 60 days after which the machine would start functioning,” said a senior health department official.

“The rates for the CT scan facility has not been fixed and will be decided later,” he added.

Sources in the hospital said as many as 90 per cent of patients admitted in the critical-care wing of the hospital require diagnosis like X-ray and CT scan. “However, the CT scan machine has been dysfunctional for close to two years now. This leaves attendants with no other option but to take critical patients to private centres,” said a junior doctor at PMCH.

According to sources, over 100 patients turn up at PMCH every day for CT scan. “With the machine defunct, the patients either return home or visit private laboratories, where they have to cough up exorbitant charges,” said a source in the emergency ward. He added that the cost of a CT scan in PMCH was Rs 800 per patient, when it was functional. The same service costs between Rs 1,500 and Rs 3,000 at private laboratories.

Sources in the hospital said touts taking advantage of the situation, roam around the emergency ward to coax patients to get the diagnosis done at private CT scan centres.

“Poor patients visit PMCH to get basic facilities without having to spend much. The emergency department is in the grip of touts. Sometimes, patients reach the hospital to get the treatment with the CT scan results in their hand even without doctors asking for the diagnosis. If the machine is made functional, things will improve,” the junior doctor said.

Meanwhile, senior PMCH administrative officials said as the installed machine is outdated, procurement of the faulty parts has proved to be difficult. “We will ensure the machine starts functioning within a few months as we understand that a lot of people are facing hardship because of unavailability of the service,” said PMCH deputy superintendent R.K. Singh.

Patients and their relatives at PMCH heaved a sigh of relief on the news that the CT-scan equipment will soon get functional. “Thousands of patients and their relatives have faced immense trouble because of closure of the machine and touts have been having a gala time. Things should change with the equipment getting operational,” said Shambhu Sharan, attendant of a patient, in the emergency ward.