Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Feb 4: The lone CT scan machine at Government Medical College (GMC) Handwara has been defunct for over two weeks, forcing patients to rely on private diagnostic facilities.
According to officials, the machine developed a technical snag 15 days ago and has remained nonfunctional since.
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Medical Superintendent GMC Handwara, Dr. Aijaz Ahmad Bhat, said the CT scan machine has been in service for 15 years, operating round the clock.
“Given the extent of its usage over the years, it was bound to develop a snag. As soon as the issue arose, we immediately reported it to the concerned agency,” he said.
After the issue was raised, the agency sent engineers who rectified the problem, and the machine functioned for four more days.
“However, it developed another snag after running for four days, and we reported the issue again,” he added.
Two days later, engineers from the agency inspected the machine and identified a defect in its main board.
“They took the faulty part and informed us that a new board needs to be installed for the machine to function again,” Dr. Aijaz said.
He assured that the replacement would be completed within four days, restoring the machine to operational status.
Meanwhile, as repairs are underway, patients and their attendants are facing difficulties, particularly those from financially weaker backgrounds.
“We are forced to get scans done at private diagnostic labs, where the charges are significantly higher than at GMC. This issue must be resolved without delay for the welfare of the people, especially the poor,” said an attendant.
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