A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine has been installed at NRS Medical College and Hospital as part of the health department’s initiative to upgrade the diagnostic facilities at state-run hospitals with help from private parties.

“The MRI scan can now be done at one-third the rate charged by private hospitals or diagnostic centres,” said Subir Ganguly, the head of the radiotherapy department at NRS hospital.

Medical College and Hospital is the only state-run health hub in the city with an MRI machine, run in collaboration with a private group.

The move to set up diagnostic facilities through private-public partnership has come as a relief for patients like Soumya Banerjee who need to undergo frequent MRI scans but cannot afford the high rates at private centres.

Soumya, a 32-year-old documentary film-maker, has been suffering from a malignant brain tumour. He underwent surgery in July 2008, followed by cycles of radiation and chemotherapy.

But since there is still a residue of the tumour in the brain, Soumya has to undergo regular MRI scans to ascertain whether the tumour is changing in size.

“Such scans are very expensive. We have already spent Rs 4 lakh on his treatment and don’t have any money left,” said Soumya’s father Pronab, a retired bank employee. “We could not afford another MRI scan as advised by the doctor.”

The family can now breathe easy following the installation of the MRI machine at NRS. “We will get the scan done at NRS as it would be much cheaper and affordable for us,” said the father.

The MRI scanner has been installed by Spandan, a private hospital in Midnapore, which has entered into an agreement with the health department to set up “state-of-the-art” diagnostic facilities at government hospitals. Sources said the private hospital had spent Rs 7 crore on installing the machine.

Next in the line is the installation of a positron emission tomography — computed tomography (PET-CT) and linear accelerator machines.

“We are hopeful that a final decision on PET-CT will be taken soon,” said a health department official. PET-CT is the most advanced imaging system to diagnose malignant tumours.

Linear accelerator, a precision-based radiation therapy targeting only the malignant cells and sparing the healthy ones, will also be installed at NRS Hospital. “The project will cost Rs 3.5 crore,” the official said.