New Delhi|HL
The AAP government of Delhi will provide free MRI and CT scan in private labs to residents of the capital whose annual income is less than Rs 3 lakh.
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said the scheme will be provide for those residents of capital who are living in city from last three years. It often takes years to get an MRI scan done in government hospitals in Delhi. There have been complaints that patients had been told to wait till 2019 for an MRI or CT scan.
The government has decided to use the money saved from early construction of flyovers to provide free medicines and medical tests for patients,” said Jain.
According to the Delhi government, over Rs 350 crore have been saved by building flyovers in Delhi at much below the sanctioned budget. Jain said the decision to rope in private labs was taken in view of the long dates given for MRI and CT scan in government hospitals. “We are also working on a public-private partnership model to have more MRI machines at government hospitals. But that may take a few years,” the minister said. So as an immediate measure, we have decided to rope in accredited private labs,” he added.
The government had identified seven private MRI scan centres accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers. “We have authorised 10 government hospitals which can refer patients to these labs and they will then provide cashless MRI and CT scans to patients.” The government will directly pay the the centres according to the rates prescribed by CGHS he added.
The government hospitals authorised to refer patients for free MRI tests include GB Pant, Lok Nayak, GTB, Deen Dayal Upadhyay, Dr Baba Saheb Aambedkar, Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital, Janakpuri Super Specialty, Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences, Delhi State Cancer Institute and Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya hospitals.
Through this scheme the burden on others hospitals of MRI/CT scan in Delhi government hospitals and shorten the waiting list for patients undergoing treatment there,” an official in the health department said.
