CMCH X-ray service for outdoor patients suspended

Radiology and Imaging Department, left, of Chittagong Medical College Hospital and poor outdoor patients, right, wait in a corridor. PHOTO: STAR

Shortage of X-ray film and insufficient allocation forced them to stop the outdoor service, authorities concerned said.

It is now forcing around 100 poor outdoor patients get their prescribed X-ray done at a higher cost from outside the hospital everyday.

Sources at the radiology department said authorities also suspended the X-ray service for the indoor and outdoor patients due to non-availability of films for several months in the hospital last year.

The department, however, resumed the service on February 26 this year after the supply of X-ray films began.

But, this time the authorities in a verbal order kept the service suspended for the outdoor patients who earlier availed the service on a nominal payment.

Mokhlesur Rahman, a medical technologist of the department, said a patient is to pay Tk 150 or more now for X-ray outside the hospital, which they availed at only Tk 44 to Tk 55 each in the hospital.

Earlier, on an average over 100 outdoor patients used to get the facility at the hospital, he said.

Meanwhile, technologists at the department said since the service was being provided only to the indoor patients they never faced any shortage of films.

Dr Anisul Maola, head of the Radiology and Imaging Department, said the department would render X-ray service to both the indoor and the outdoor patients free of cost few years ago.

But, the free service to the outdoor patients was suspended following an audit objection by the Accounts Department of the government around six years ago, Dr Maola said, adding that the department, however, continued the service to the outdoor patients for a nominal price until last year. But the shortage of films forced us to suspend the service to almost all the indoor and outdoor patients, he added.

Sources at the store department said supply of the X-ray films from the Central Medical Store Department (CMSD) in Dhaka is inadequate against the demand in the hospital.

Dr Debashis Dutta, store in-charge of the CMCH, said number of patients has increased in the hospital and price of the films also gone up due to devaluation of taka that might have caused suspension of the service to the outdoor patients.

In fact allocation for the X-ray films has enhanced but not sufficient as the demand increased by several times, he said, adding that at present the number of only the indoor patients stood at 1800.

CMCH Director Brigadier Abedur Rahman said they are now giving priority to the indoor patients for the service.

So, first of all, we want to ensure X-ray service for the indoor patients and outdoor patients will also be provided the service if films are available, he said.

On the other hand, in some cases the indoor patients are also being deprived of the X-ray service from the hospital, said a technologist on condition of anonymity.

Putting up a statistics in this regard, he said the number of patients from the emergency and the causality departments considered as the indoor patients, which also decreased remarkably in the last few months.

At present some three to four patients come from the two departments everyday instead of about 30 patients three months ago, he said.

Many alleged that a section of concerned staffs and even doctors of the two departments compel the indoor patients to go outside the hospital for x-ray.