State-of-the-art Radiology unit brings affordable diagnostics to Alappuzha

As part of efforts to provide modern medical care to the public at affordable rates, 3,600 people have undergone MRI and CT scans at concessional rates at the newly launched Radiology unit of the Alappuzha General Hospital (GH) in the past seven months.

Among them, 450 patients underwent MRI scans, while 3,150 underwent CT scans. At private scan centres, an MRI scan costs around ₹6,000, whereas at the General Hospital it is done for ₹2,500. Similarly, a CT scan, which costs ₹3,000 in private centres, is available here for ₹1,300.

X-rays at ₹100

During the period, X-rays have been taken for 32,000 patients at a concessional rate of just ₹100. The State government installed advanced diagnostic facilities in the unit at ₹20 crore, within the newly built OP block of the hospital, which was constructed using ₹117 crore from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board.

Officials said that only the user fee fixed by the government was charged for MRI, CT scans, and other radiology tests. “For patients from the extremely poor category, all these services are offered free of cost. BPL patients who require emergency radiology services are charged less than half the regular rate,” said an official.

The hospital installed a state-of-the-art 1.5 Tesla Siemens Magnetom Sempra MRI machine, powered by AI technology, at a cost of ₹10 crore. An additional ₹2 crore was spent on setting up supporting facilities. For CT scanning, the hospital uses a Siemens 16-slice Somatom Go Now machine worth ₹2.57 crore.

Mammography facility

The hospital also has a mammography facility to detect the risk of breast cancer at an early stage, even before symptoms appear, enabling timely treatment. The mammograms are performed using an Allengers MAM Venus machine worth over ₹35 lakh.

While private clinics charge more than ₹1,500 for a mammogram, the fee here is only ₹600. For BPL patients, the charge is just ₹100. Mammograms are done by prior booking.

A modern OPG (Orthopantomogram) machine, which produces digital panoramic X-rays for diagnosing dental conditions such as tooth decay and gum disease, has been installed at a cost of ₹27 lakh. While private clinics charge ₹700 for an OPG, the fee at the General Hospital is ₹250. The hospital has also installed a new ultrasound machine at a cost of around ₹20 lakh.

Consultant radiologist S. Geetha, who heads the department, pointed out that these services were offered at rates lower than those in government hospitals in other districts.

24 hours a day

The X-ray and CT scan facilities operate 24 hours a day. MRI scans can be booked by phone or in person between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Up to eight MRI scans can be performed a day, and non-emergency scans can be done within two days of booking. For booking, contact: 0477-2233006.