Navi Mumbai: For over five months now the sub-district hospital at Panvel does not have a radiologist due to which the patients who require to undergo sonography are being asked to visit Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) run hospitals at Vashi and Nerul. Meanwhile, the pregnant women who require sonography scans and cannot travel that far are forced to spend over RS 2000 at the private radiology centres.
Roshani Thakur, 32, a resident of New Panvel, who runs a canteen for a living while her husband drives an auto rickshaw, is one of the pregnant women forced to visit private radiologists. “I cannot travel to Nerul or Vashi in my condition and hence I have no other option but to go to a private radiologist where I have to pay ₹2,200. In June, I have do my fifth month’s sonography, and I don’t know how much that will cost now. I am consulting the sub district hospital and I take the tablets provided for free by the government because we cannot afford to buy them always. The lack of radiologist is burning a hole in our pockets,” Thakur said.
The sub district hospital at Panvel is largely visited by the tribals and people from rural areas in Panvel Taluka. “There are many villages in Panvel Taluka far off from Panvel City and all those patients from the villages visit the sub-district hospital for all their medical needs. And patients who require sonography have to travel further towards NMMC hospitals or succumb to the private centres which are not affordable to all,” said Dr Swapnil Pawar from Kharghar.
Dr Pawar, who is also district vice president for Congress party, had written to the State Health Ministry and the Medical Officer of the Panvel sub district hospital demanding that the radiologist vacancy be filled soon. “It’s a state-run hospital and the government not providing a radiologist, is a serious issue which needs to be taken note of. My patients from lower income strata who require sonography for their diagnosis are finding it difficult to get it done,” Dr Pawar added.
Dr Madhukar Panchal, medical officer from sub-district hospital said, “The radiologist we had resigned a few months ago to pursue his post-graduation studies. We have informed the state government about the vacancy. An advertisement has been published and soon interviews would be done to fill the post. As of now, we are referring the patients to visit NMMC run hospitals to get the sonography done.”