Telangana has 50 CT scanners, only nine MRI machines across government hospitals

Can nine MRI machines meet the diagnostic needs of patients across Telangana’s government hospitals? The State currently has nine operational MRI machines in eight government institutions, compared with 50 functional CT scan machines in 48 institutions, according to figures furnished by the Health Department in the Telangana Legislative Council on September 10.

The figures were provided in response to a question raised by MLC S. Vani Devi, who sought district-wise details of the MRI and CT scan machines currently operational in government hospitals. She also asked whether MRI and CT scan services had been suspended due to a shortage of technicians or radiologists, the average waiting period for the scans, and the measures being taken for emergency patients at private diagnostic centres. According to the government’s reply, as of August 31, nine MRI machines and 50 CT scan machines are operational in government hospitals.

The nine MRI machines are located across eight institutions. Gandhi Hospital in Secunderabad, Osmania General Hospital in Hyderabad, TIMS Sanathnagar, MNJ Cancer Hospital in Hyderabad, MGM Hospital in Warangal, RIMS Adilabad, and Government General Hospital in Jayashankar Bhupalpally have one MRI machine each, while NIMS Hyderabad has two machines. The distribution means that the MRI infrastructure in Telangana is concentrated in a limited number of hospitals.

The CT scan network is considerably larger. The government said 50 CT scan machines are operational across 48 institutions. Most of the hospitals have one machine each, while some institutions have more than one. NIMS and MNJ in Hyderabad have two CT scanners.

The equipment includes machines with different scanning capacities. Osmania General Hospital and Gandhi Hospital have 128-slice CT scanners, while most of the other listed institutions have 16-slice machines. NIMS has two machines, a 128-slice and a 64-slice scanner. TIMS Sanathnagar has a 128-slice CT scanner, while MNJ Hospital has two, a 128-slice and a 64-slice machine.

In a CT scan machine, a slice refers to the number of 2D cross-sectional images the scanner can capture in a single 360-degree rotation. The higher the slice count, the more detector rows the machine has, allowing it to cover a larger area of the body in less time and with greater detail.