MRI, CT scan at 25 hospitals for needy

Chandigarh, July 16

To facilitate essential tests such as MRI, CT scan and pathology under a single roof, the Punjab Government has decided to set up centres in the PPP mode in 25 government hospitals for needy patients as such diagnostics services are mostly concentrated in the private sector.

Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said centres for diagnostic purposes would be set up in 22 district hospitals and the three sub-divisional hospitals at Khanna, Phagwara, Rajpura. With this, people would not have to visit private centres for paying hefty charges.

Sidhu clarified all other tests that were already being conducted free of cost in government laboratories would be available as earlier. He said a process had been started to meet the necessity of people as well as provide all tests with fixed rates across the state. He said discounts in Punjab were amongst the highest when compared to similar PPP projects in other states, including Haryana, Uttar Pradesh (radiology). However, CT, MRI and pathological services rates under the state’s PPP project were expected to be among the lowest in the nation. — TNS