Lightning does strike twice: Mayo Hospital’s CT scan out of order once again

The machine was imported from Japan at a cost of Rs40 million

LAHORE: Patients at the Mayo Hospital are facing severe problems as one of the computed tomography (CT) scan machines has been out of order for the last two weeks.

The machine was installed at the hospital in October 2015, but stopped functioning just a few months later, said an official requesting anonymity. “It was imported from Japan at a cost of Rs40 million, but the private firm which imported the machine could not repair it,” he added.

This is the second time the machine has gone out of order since it was installed. Last year, it remained out of order for almost a year. The hospital has another CT scan machine which was installed in the 1980s.

“Since it’s an old machine, we are unsure about the accuracy of its results. We have been referring most of our patients to the Ganga Ram and Jinnah hospitals for CT scans for the last eight months,” he added.

The CT scan machine is important and helps us detect various diseases, he said. “It is fast, painless, non-invasive and accurate in emergency cases. It can reveal internal injuries quickly and helps us save lives. It is also an accurate tool to detect cancer in the lungs, liver or kidneys,” he added.

Mayo Hospital Chief Executive Officer Dr Asad Aslam said medics are waiting for the necessary parts to be imported from Singapore. “The machine will be fixed within the next few days,” he said. “Patients have not been facing any kind of difficulty as the other machine at the emergency ward is fully functioning.”

Replying to a question, he said that there was no problem from the contractor’s side, but the process of fixing the machine was being delayed as parts were being imported.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 7^th, 2017.