COIMBATORE: The expanded MRI scan facility at Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) has received positive response from the public. Over 7,800 people have benefited from this service in the last three months.
CMCH introduced its first MRI scan in 2018, and the waiting time for outpatients was around 2-3 days. As each scan took about 40 minutes, only 30 were performed daily. As patients under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme received it for free, others had to pay just Rs 2,500 compared to other private hospitals and scanning centres which cost more.
After many people chose CMCH for MRI scans, it resulted in delays. Hence, the hospital management requested the pfficials for another MRI machine.
Hospital sources said that the facility was upgraded in November 2024 and an additional MRI machine was installed at Rs 13 crore due to high demand. As this new equipment can perform within 20 minutes, this reduced the waiting time and more scans could be taken up. The new 1.5 Tesla MRI scan tool is very helpful in detecting lesions in neurology, cardiology, and oncology tests.
Hospital authorities said that more people are benefiting from the expanded facility. In the last three months (from its launch on February 5, 2025), 2,540 patients have benefitted from it under the CM’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme, and 5,333 others. Previously, the monthly total was below 1,000.
A growing number of patients are also utilising the CT scan facility, with 62,627 patients including 1,831 insurance holders, benefiting from it in the last three months.
A CMCH staff said, “The increased number of patients requiring MRI scans has led to a significant fall in delays. Most scan results are now issued within a day.”
