Patients wait days for MRI scans at National Hospital despite idle machines

Patients at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka in Colombo are being forced to wait two to three days for MRI scans even though the hospital has several MRI machines each worth around 400 million rupees, a medical association has alleged.

Specialist Dr Chamal Sanjeeva said the number of scans carried out daily at certain units of the National Hospitals in Colombo and Karapitiya had been restricted to between 10 and 12, causing severe difficulty for patients.

Patients in wards 9, 10 and 81, and the neurotrauma and neurosurgical units, were among those affected. Some patients remain in wards for days awaiting a scan, which delays planned surgeries, he said.

He questioned why four MRI machines at the Colombo hospital were not being used to their full capacity, when official circulars instruct hospitals to ensure maximum use of medical equipment.

Patients unable to get a scan inside the hospital are driven to private providers, where a single MRI scan can cost around 100,000 rupees.

Dr Sanjeeva called for an immediate investigation and urged the authorities to make sure the available MRI facilities are used effectively to cut the delays.