New 3-Tesla MRI machines arrive at Nair, Sion and Cooper hospitals
After eleven rounds of tendering, Mumbai civic hospitals are getting advanced MRI machines, with full service expected by October.
Patients who have waited months for MRI scans at Mumbai civic hospitals may soon get relief. After the tender process was repeated eleven times, the civic body's major hospitals have started receiving advanced three-Tesla MRI machines.
Machines have reached Nair, Sion and Cooper hospitals and are being installed. KEM Hospital is also expected to get a new machine soon. Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr Prajakta Verma-Lavangare said the plan is to have the MRI service fully back on track by October.
The proposal to expand MRI facilities at KEM, Sion and Nair hospitals had been stuck since 2018-19. Delays in the tender process directly affected patients. It is learnt that the waiting period for an MRI at KEM was running to about nine months, while at Nair the service had been disrupted for a long time because the old machine was out of order. As a result, many patients were forced to turn to private diagnostic centres.
Compared to a 1.5 Tesla machine, a three-Tesla MRI produces clearer images. This will allow more accurate detection of fine changes in the brain, small lumps, epilepsy-related issues and ear-nose-throat conditions.
Dr Verma-Lavangare said priority is being given to procuring medicines, medical equipment and other essential supplies for the hospitals, and this process is moving quickly. The civic body's focus is not just on the machines arriving but on ensuring they are actually put to use for patients without shortages of necessary supplies. Once the new machines are operational, waiting times for scans will come down, benefiting economically weaker patients the most and reducing their spending at private centres.
Dr Shailesh Mohite, director of a major civic hospital, said the three-Tesla MRI machine can produce clearer and better-quality images than the 1.5 Tesla machine currently in use. This makes it easier to detect very small changes in the body, lumps and early signs of disease. The machine is expected to be especially useful in diagnosing brain-related illnesses. Fine changes or small lesions in the brains of epilepsy patients will now be visible more clearly, helping doctors make an accurate diagnosis and plan further treatment.
