LAHORE, March 25: The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a vital diagnostic equipment, of the Lahore General Hospital has not been functioning for more than three weeks due to a `deliberate damage’.

The LGH is among three ‘privileged’ public sector hospitals in Punjab which do have this costly facility. The other two are the Children Hospital, Lahore, and Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur. The LGH had procured it for Rs81 million in April 2005.

“It was an intentional destruction by some elements,” LGH medical superintendent Dr Omar Farooq said without naming any suspect.

Describing it as a sabotage, he said someone had pulled out the emergency switch which caused gas leak. He said a case had been lodged against unknown people and police had launched investigation.

LGH Radiology Department head Prof Mansoor Bakhtiari, however, denied that it was a sabotage and said no case had been registered.

He said since the manufacturer had given a five-year warranty for the equipment, the hospital would not bear any financial loss. “We have contacted the company head office in The Netherlands and it has promised to replace the equipment.”

Answering a question, Bakhtiari said if “we call it a sabotage, the manufacturer will not replace it.”

Kot Lakhpat police said they had received an application from the MS seeking registration of the case. “The FIR is yet to be registered,” the SHO concerned said.

The non-functioning of the MRI means that a good number of patients who visit the hospital for having different scans are now at the mercy of the private sector. On an average, more than 40 people visit the LGH everyday. They come from all parts of the province. “I have come from Faisalabad to have the brain scan of my sister but to our utter disappointment, the MRI machine here is out of order. Where should I go now?” said Mohammad Ishtiaq.

The General Hospital charges Rs2,500 for a scan whereas in the private sector a scan costs between Rs5,000 and 10,000.

Bakhtiari said nearly 70 per cent of those visiting the LGH for MRI scans are those falling in the Zakat category or those who have departmental entitlement.

He said the hospital had entertained 15,000 people since the installation of the MRI machine.

Pakistan Medical Association secretary-general Dr Azeemuddin Zahid called for an independent inquiry to expose culprits. He said there were apprehensions within the LGH that the blame would be put on some junior staffers. The MRI is a noninvasive diagnostic technique that produces computerised images of internal body tissues. It is generally used for imaging brain and spinal cord to diagnose the exact cause of a disease.