A body of textile merchants has come forward to help poor patients avail MRI facility at private clinics and medical centres after closure of such a unit at a civic-run hosptia following a mishap last month.
 

The BMC administration stopped the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) facility at Nair Hospital after a person got stuck in the machine and died. Following this, the wait-listed number of MRI patients in the government hospitals has gone up. The Bharat Merchant Trust (BMT) has now come forward to bear the entire cost of MRI facility incurred by poor patients in private clinics and medical centres.

"We have contacted senior doctors of the BMC and government-run hospitals and have also tied-up with seven biggest medical centres having MRI facility for this cause," said Rajiv Singal, a trustee of the BMT. The South Mumbai-based trust is a leading body of textile merchants and has been involved in financing affordable medical services to poor patients in the city.

The free MRI facility is restricted to patients of the government/BMC-run hospitals, Singal said, adding so far "our chamber has reimbursed MRI charges of 20 patients." Avinash Supe, the dean of KEM Hospital, confirmed the move. "A few people approached us for this cause and we have told our doctors to refer the patients (to private clinics)."

Describing the procedure to avail the facility, Singal said, "Once a patient is referred to us by doctors from BMC/ government hospitals, he or his kin needs to contact our office in South Mumbai. "After verifying the referrals, our office issues a letter and the patient is sent to one of the seven medical centre that we have tied-up with for MRI."