TIRUNELVELI: Doctors and patients at Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital (TvMCH) have urged the state government to provide an additional MRI scanner to meet the growing diagnostic demands of patients from the southern districts.
Speaking to TNIE on condition of anonymity, a doctor at the hospital said the lone, outdated MRI scanner currently in use is inadequate. “In 2024-25 alone, TvMCH treated 6,53,874 inpatients and 12,43,674 outpatients. We receive patients not just from Tirunelveli but also from Tenkasi, Thoothukudi, Kanniyakumari, and Virudhunagar. The waiting period for an MRI ranges from three to 10 days. In critical cases, patients are forced to seek private facilities,” the doctor said.
According to hospital records, 10,597 MRI scans were performed at TvMCH during 2024-25. Another doctor pointed out that several districts have been equipped with more than one MRI scanner in the government hospitals.
“Government Rajaji Medical College Hospital in Madurai has two MRI scanners — one at the main campus and another at the PMSSY Building. Chennai’s government hospitals have nine scanners in total. Several districts have two each. Given the patient load at TvMCH, the government must consider providing an additional scanner to TvMCH,” the doctor added.
A Mariammal, an attendant of an orthopaedic patient, said to TNIE that her relative had to wait 12 days for an MRI scan. “The longer the delay, the more the patient’s condition deteriorates. We heard that patients in the intensive care unit get scanned within one to three days,” she added.
A cardiology patient recently discharged from TvMCH said he had no choice but to approach a private scan centre. “My condition did not permit me to wait for a week. The long-pending demand for an additional MRI scanner continues to be ignored,” he said.
A senior administrator of TvMCH said the government was actively considering the proposal for an additional MRI scanner. “We have forwarded the request to the Health Minister and Health Secretary,” the official said.