PHC CJ seeks report from HMC about dysfunctional machines

PESHAWAR: The Chief Justice of Peshawar High Court (PHC) Mazhar Alam Miankhel on Tuesday expressed concern over the conditions prevailing in the government hospitals where, according to him, most of the facilities like MRI and CT scan machines were out of order.

“The MRI and CT scan machines are for the poor patients in the government hospitals. Where the poor patients would go when these machines are out of order,” the chief justice asked the administration of the Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) while hearing a case about non-repair of the out of order MRI and CT scan machines.

The chief justice observed that the rich people can pay the charges for the private tests of the MRI and CT scan, but the poor cannot. He also expressed concern over the role of Health Regulatory Authority which was silent over the issue and not taking action against the officials concerned.

The chief justice said the same situation existed in the Lady Reading Hospital, where these machines became out of order. The division bench directed the administration of the HMC to submit progress report on the out of order machines at the hospital before the next hearing.

The court made these observations in a writ petition of senior lawyer Muhammad Essa Khan filed against the HMC administration for not repairing the hospital’s out of order MRI and CT scan machines for the last three years.

During hearing, the lawyer submitted that due to doctors’ commission from the private laboratories, the MRI and CT scan machines of HMC had been out of order for the last three years. He said that the administration of the HMC despite having funds had failed to purchase new MRI and CT Scan machines for the hospital as both the devices have been out of order since May 2012 and the patients were being forced to approach private laboratories for the tests.

The hospital lawyer, Shakil Ahmad told the court with the new Board of Governors appointment of the hospital an order had been placed for a new MRI machine to a Germany firm and the money had been paid for that. He said the CT scan machine had been made fully functional.