Patients seeking relief at government hospitals in the Capital face testing times. Many of the institutes don't have facilities for diagnostic studies while others have patients queued up for months.

Mail Today visited a clutch of Union and Delhi government-run medical centres such as Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, GB Pant Hospital, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital and GTB Hospital where patients are getting repeated deferments for medical investigations.

For exams like echocardiogram, dates are available only in 2019 and to get ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) scan, patients have to wait three to four months, informed an official.

At Delhi government's Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, the CT scan machine has been non-functional for several months.

Vikas Verma, 20, is suffering from appendix complications for which he needed a CT scan.

Since February, I am being given new dates every month and the latest one is in July. Doctors at RML say that I have to take admission to get the CT scan done, even though I do not require it. It will be a waste of my resources and time. - Vikas, a resident of Kirti Nagar

A senior doctor on condition of anonymity said that every day about 100 OPD patients are getting new dates for diagnostic tests.

"This is really unacceptable as poor patients are suffering. The hospital only has two CT scan machines, out of which only one is working. The damaged one is not being repaired."

The fluoroscopy machine is also out of order for the last four years, he added, confirming that a recent order from the hospital says only patients admitted there will get the CT scan facility.

(Prof) Dr VK Tiwari, director of RML Hospital told Mail Today that the institute will get the problems fixed soon.

Suneena Kumari, 35, is waiting for the past three months for an ultrasound at GB Pant Hospital. Department authorities keep postponing and there's a huge waiting list.

While MRI facility is not available at GTB Hospital, based on the government's directives the administration is sending its patients to private medical facilities to which they have outsourced the responsibility.

For this, the Delhi government has given strict instructions to all hospitals that a doctor and attendant will accompany a patient to the private diagnostic centre.

But authorities are not following government's instructions, say sources.

Mahesh Mani, 35, who was admitted at GTB Hospital has a spine implant procedure due for which he needs to undergo MRI.

His brother Rupesh told Mail Today: "There is no medical expert to accompany us to the diagnostic centre. What if some emergency problem happens to my elder brother who is critically ill? Who would be held responsible?"

When Mail Today contacted Dr Kirti Bhushan, Delhi's Director General of Health Services (DGHS), he said: "Under Delhi Arogya Kosh scheme, we send patients to the outsourced path labs which are (NABH) accredited, but hospital authorities have to send a doctor with the critical patient. Strict instructions are given to them. This step was taken to avoid longer dates. If hospitals are not following our directions, we will take action against them."

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