Telangana plans private operators for MRI services in govt hospitals, scans to stay free
The Telangana government is considering roping in private operators to run MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) services at its hospitals, in an effort to end the recurring technical faults and maintenance delays that have long interrupted diagnostic care for poorer patients.
Under the proposed public-private partnership (PPP) model, the government aims to have MRI facilities functioning at all Government General Hospitals (GGHs) across the State within two years. Mahabubnagar GGH has been selected for a pilot project.
Health Minister C. Damodar Raja Narasimha, who reviewed the proposal with senior Health Department officials in Hyderabad on Friday, clarified that scans will remain free of cost for patients referred by doctors at government hospitals, even when a private partner operates the equipment.
A PPP in this context means a contract under which the government provides the space and the patient load, while a private firm supplies, runs and maintains the machine and its staff. The State pays the firm, so the patient is not charged at the counter. The exact payment structure has not yet been made public.
At present, MRI facilities in Telangana are available at Gandhi Hospital, Osmania General Hospital (OGH), Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), Marri Chenna Reddy Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences (MCR TIMS) in Sanathnagar, and the MNJ Institute of Oncology Regional Cancer Centre in Hyderabad. The facility also exists at MGM Hospital in Warangal, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Adilabad and GGH Bhupalapally.
Several major district headquarters, including Karimnagar, Khammam, Mahabubnagar and Nalgonda, have no MRI facility in their government hospitals. Even in institutions that have the equipment, frequent technical problems and the high cost of maintenance often disrupt services, pushing patients towards private diagnostic centres, where such scans can cost several thousand rupees.
To study the problem, a team of doctors and Health Department officials visited other States and examined the arrangements followed there, including in Tamil Nadu, before submitting a report recommending the PPP route.
Officials told the Minister that the model could reduce government expenditure by about 20 per cent compared with the existing system, apart from easing the burden of procuring and maintaining costly equipment and ensuring that services remain available through the year. These are the department's own projections; the final cost implications will become clear only once contract terms are worked out.
Reviewing the proposal, the Minister said advanced diagnostic facilities should be accessible to patients visiting government hospitals without financial constraints. He instructed officials to ensure the quality of diagnostic services, proper upkeep of equipment and timely delivery of scan reports.
The proposal is still at the planning stage. The government has not yet announced a timeline for inviting bids, the districts to be covered after the Mahabubnagar pilot, or the safeguards that will apply if a private operator fails to meet service standards. Those details, officials indicated, will follow once the pilot is evaluated.
