TIRUCHY: In trauma cases, every passing second is crucial but the absence of a CT scan facility at the Thuraiyur government hospital in the district puts the lives of patients with head injuries, or those wheeled in after suffering major accidents, at risk as they have to travel over 45 km to the city or to Srirangam to undergo the imaging procedure before their health condition can be ascertained.
Located only a few kilometres from major highways connecting places like Ariyalur, Namakkal and Perambalur, Thuraiyur is at a busy junction that witnesses constant vehicular movement, including heavy-duty trucks carrying cement to neighbouring states.
The high traffic density contributes to frequent road accidents, making access to timely emergency care and diagnostic facilities like CT scan all the more crucial. According to sources, eight fatal and 22 non-fatal accidents were reported in Thuraiyur over the past six months.
As it takes over an hour for accident victims in Thuraiyur to be taken to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH) or the Srirangam GH in order to undergo a CT scan, local residents and others seek urgent action.
Despite being a government hospital that handles nearly 400 in-patients every day and serves over 100 villages - including the tribal hamlets in Pachamalai hills - the absence of a CT scan facility at Thuraiyur GH undermines the purpose behind its recent multi-crore infrastructure upgrade, they say.
Once a 50-bed facility, Thuraiyur GH now has 120 beds and three main blocks: the original structure, a Rs 10.1-crore Tamil Nadu Accident and Emergency Care Initiative (TAEI) block with ICU and dialysis units, and a Rs 5.1-crore maternity block (MCH) with its own labour ward and theatre that were inaugurated by Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin last year. An additional OT is nearing completion in the emergency block.
“In cases of head injuries or internal bleeding, the lost hour can be fatal. The hospital has new ICUs and operation theatres, but without a CT scan, it’s incomplete care,” said G Ramesh Babu, a resident of Omandur.
Pointing to the lack of CT scan facility at the GH, a local resident said, “This is not about convenience, it’s about equity.” Poor patients are pushed into debt relying on costly private scans or risk delayed government ones, the resident added.
“We have the staff, the buildings, the beds, but without the scan, we’re treating in the dark,” said a senior doctor at the GH.
When enquired, officials from the district health department confirmed that a CT scan unit has been sanctioned for Thuraiyur GH. It is expected to be installed within the year, alongside the government hospitals in Musiri and Lalgudi, they added.