In PGIMER, a long wait for patients to get their tests done

For an OPD patient, an average waiting period for ultrasound is at least a month. Situation is worse in case of MRI where the patients have to wait for at least two-three months on an average. Up to two months’ waiting period is there for the patients requiring a PET scan. However, patients in critical conditions are given priority.

“Where will a poor man go in this country? I come from a remote district of Hrayana. There are thousands like me who reach PGI in hope of better treatment. But, the queue is so long and wait unbearable. Not only the travel expense, but the hardship a patient goes through while coming to the PGI again and again and waiting for his turn adds to the trauma”, said 32-year-old Salinder, a small-time farmer in a Jind village.

“The doctors say that they need the ultrasound report first to prescribe further treatment. When a patient can not get the test done for months, his condition is bound to get deteriorated”, Salinder told Chandigarh Newsline.

On Wednesday, a number of OPD patients awaiting MRI scans were given dates in the last week of June and those for PET scans got dates in the last week of May.

Director, PGI, Dr Jagat Ram accepted that the waiting list for such scans “should not be that long” as “it may affect patient’s health and further treatment”.

“ It is not that PGI doctors or staff are not doing their best to take care of the patients. But, since the number is so high, the government must upgrade the infrastructure to bear this heavy load of patients”, another patient who was given June 28 as her date for the MRI told Chandigarh Newsline.

As on date, PGI has four MRI machines and on a daily basis, an average of 100 scans are done. The cost of an MRI scan in PGI is Rs 2,500. If a patient prefers to get the MRI done from a private lab, the cost is much higher.

A senior doctor from the department of radio diagnosis and imaging told Chandigarh Newsline that the institute conducts the investigation of critical and emergency cases on immediate basis. “But, in OPD, the waiting list for such scans is long. On an average, there is an inflow of more than 10,000 patients daily. It gets difficult to accommodate such a heavy inflow of patients with the existing machines and staff. There are only two solutions – either we restrict the number of patients coming to the OPDs or upgrade the infrastructure and get additional facilities” he said.

On Wednesday, as per the PGI registration records, 11,560 patients were registered at OPD.

DR B R Mittal, Head of Department of Nuclear Medicine, PGI, confirmed that the general waiting list for PET scans goes up to two months.

“ The possible solution could be that more machines be installed in government hospitals who keep referring their patients to the PGI. At our hospital, even if we install extra machines, the waiting list will continue to remain there, because the number of patients are increasing every day,” Dr Mittal told Chandigarh Newsline.

The Institute has two PET scan machines and charge is Rs 7,000. The same scan outside PGI costs more than Rs 15,000.

PGI Faculty Association President Dr Rajesh Chabra told Chandigarh Newsline that they will take up the issue in detail with the institute director. “In most cases, MRI scanning reports are required urgently for a proper diagnosis of patient’s problem and further treatment. A waiting period, which goes up to months sometime, could make the situation worse for the patient. This is definitely a problem,” Dr Chabra told Chandigarh Newsline.

Director, PGI, Dr Ram said they are trying their best to upgrade the infrastructure and expand the existing facilities. “Very soon, we shall be getting one more MRI machine. It may not solve the problem completely, but will definitely reduce the waiting period. As a health care institute, we are duty bound to take care and give best treatment to all the patients who knock our doors. But, unless the tertiary care hospitals are strengthened with adequate infrastructure for such tests and scans, the load will continue to increase on PGI,” he said.

For immediate solutions, Dr Ram said, he would discuss the issue with the concerned departments so that adequate measures are taken to reduce the waiting period for such tests as much as possible. “I think we need to prioritise the diseases. We cannot wait for weeks for the report, and allow the disease to spread further and impact the patient’s health,” Dr Ram added.