KARACHI: Patients are facing grave hardships at the Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital (CHK) as the two major diagnostic machines — CT scan and MRI — have been out of order for the last several months.

The CT scan machine developed some technical fault about a year ago and this is yet to be repaired, while the MRI machine has also been out of order for a few months.

The CHK is a tertiary care hospital, where scores of patients are brought every day from different areas of Karachi and the rest of Sindh. Some of them need diagnostic services such as CT scan and MRI.

As the major diagnostic machines are not functioning, the patients are referred to the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Institute of Trauma and private labs for CT scan and MRI tests.

Private labs in the megacity charge heavy fees for diagnostics tests, which are out of the reach of poor patients.

The Civil Hospital Karachi is the only major hospital of the city that offers all kind of diagnostic facilities to patients free of cost.

An administrative official at the CHK while talking to the PPI news agency said that tender had already been issued for maintenance of the MRI, CT scan and other equipment. He said the administration was in contact with the relevant company for early repairing of the diagnostic equipment to minimise the suffering of patients.

The medical superintendent of the CHK, Dr Khadim Qureshi, was not available for comments.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2020