VoL, Mar 15: Patients in District Hospital Kargil are facing significant difficulties due to a non-functional CT scan machine for the last twenty days.

According to the hospital’s Superintendent, Dr Liyaqat Ali Khan, the breakdown occurred on February 21 and has caused problems for patients for the last twenty days.

The hospital authorities contacted the empaneled consultant for all machinery, Medi City, in Jammu to fix the problem, but the complaint was not registered due to the ME number being blurred during the cleaning process called fumigation.

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They also contacted the company from which the machine was originally procured. An engineer arrived on March 4 and identified a major fault for which he needed a part to cross-check.

Meanwhile, the ME number was also identified and a complaint was registered to the Medi City. Accordingly, another engineer from Medi City arrived on March 15 and identified three to four faults that require parts. It is expected that the machine will be fixed as soon as the parts are reached.

The current CT scan machine was procured in 2011 and has a significant workload. Although a new CT scan machine has been procured and reached Delhi, a committee sent to check the machine found that it did not meet the prescription and had to be rejected.

The hospital also lacks an MRI facility, forcing doctors to refer patients to other hospitals. The District Hospital Kargil is the largest health facility in the district, treating patients with trauma and those injured in accidents. However, there is a need for better medical facilities, including functioning CT and MRI machines and sufficient accommodation for patients.