Berhampur: The CT scan machine, which was inaugurated on May 9 in the radio-diagnostic department at MKCG Medical College and Hospital here, has remained idle since then.
Protesting against it, the BJP fired cheating salvo against local MLA Ramesh Chandra Chau Patnaik, who had inaugurated the facility.
"The CT scan machine, which had been inaugurated 23 days ago, was an old one. It's a complete cheating. We want immediate installation of a new CT scan machine in the MKCG, or else we would start indefinite agitation in front of the hospital within seven days," said the BJP's Ganjam district unit president Kanhu Charan Pati. The district unit also submitted a memorandum to the revenue divisional commissioner (south), seeking prompt action.
Patnaik, who is also a physician and a senior BJD leader, also admitted that it was an old and defective machine. "The machine is a 2005 model, which had been at the Bhawanipatna district headquarters hospital. The machine was brought here for minor repair," he said.
However, the MLA said the state government had already sanctioned Rs 9 crore to purchase a new CT scan machine for the MKCG Medical College and Hospital.
The Odisha State Medical Corporation's managing director Archana Patnaik visited the MKCG on May 29. During her visit, she had said: "One 128-slide capacity CT scan machine would be installed in the MKCG within two months. As the machine would be purchased from abroad, it requires at least six months of time."
Forum for Ganjam members had discussed the health issues with Patnaik and senior authorities of the MKCG at the dean's office.
Forum co-ordinator Sudhir Rout said the state government had decided to provide CT scan machines to all the district headquarters hospitals in the state. But, no such facility would be provided to those district headquarters hospitals, where medical colleges are located at the same place. "But, we have requested the health department authorities to install the old CT scan machine at City Hospital here, 4km from the MKCG, after necessary repair," said Rout.
