Daily Times

In a worst example of mismanagement, the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine at Pakistan Institute of Medical Science (PIMS) couldn’t be made functional despite passage of many months since the machine has been imported by hospital administration, Daily Times has learnt reliably. Furthermore, although the hospital has three functional X-ray machines, patients are unable to benefit from them due to the unavailability of X-ray films required to generate reports. According to available information, PIMS imported an MRI machine and a CT scan machine from Germany for approximately 2.5 million US dollars, with special approval from the Ministry of National Health Services and Regulations (NHS&R). However, despite the hefty investment, the MRI machine has yet to be installed and put into operation.

The failure put patients into trouble as they have left with no other options than to go to private hospitals and laboratories. Some insiders narrated that malfunctions are made deliberately that benefiting a specific group that prioritizes personal gain over public service. “These groups are direct or indirect beneficiaries from all these private hospitals and laboratories where wretched patients turned to after getting failed for their treatment at PIMS’ labs,” explained a well-informed official working at the radiology department of PIMS wished not to be named. Low-income patients receive free-of-charge tests at PIMS, but due to administrative failures, they end up paying approximately Rs3,000 to Rs7,000 for each test at private institutions.

The hospital serves around 1500 patients daily, including both outpatients and emergency cases. However, only 500 X-ray films are available daily, resulting in the rest of the patients either having to take pictures from the main computer screen in their smartphones or being recommended to undergo tests at private medical venues.

Executive Director Prof Dr Rana Imran said “I took charge a couple of months back. Since then, I have taken up the matter of MRI machines very seriously,” adding that a special permission was sought from the NHS&R Ministry to import the machine after fulfillment of all related formalities. The MRI machine, he claimed, was based on the latest technology and was imported into different parts with all modern accessories. He justified that little delay occurred in this process because of closure of Letters of Credit (LCs) by the government. “The MRI will be fully operational by the end of July this year,” the ED further claimed.

Prof Dr Rana Imran, the Executive Director, acknowledged the seriousness of the situation regarding the MRI machine, emphasizing that he has taken immediate action since assuming his position a couple of months ago. He stated that all necessary formalities were completed and a special permission was sought from the NHS&R Ministry to import the state-of-the-art MRI machine, which consists of various parts and modern accessories. He assured that the MRI machine would be fully operational by the end of July this year, citing a minor delay caused by government closure of Letters of Credit (LCs). Regarding the X-Ray issues, Dr Rana Imran admitted that there had been persistent problems for several weeks. However, he stated that he has taken special initiatives to resolve the issue completely and it has been done successfully. The dysfunctionality of X-ray and other medical testing machines at PIMS is not a new issue. According to available information, this problem occurs every quarter, and despite being highlighted through media reports, press conferences, and other means, no significant actions have been taken by the authorities concerned.