Workers demand MRI facility at SCCL Main Hospital in Kothagudem

Workers at SCCL’s Main Hospital in Kothagudem have demanded an MRI facility, pointing out that a building constructed for the service has remained unused for nearly a year. Patients requiring MRI scans are being referred to private hospitals and diagnostic centres.

Kothagudem: The shortage of medical facilities at Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) Main Hospital here has become a matter of concern among workers.

Dissatisfaction is mounting among workers as a building constructed for medical services such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) at the Main Hospital has been ready for nearly a year, but the services remain unavailable.

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While CT scan services are available, MRI scanning has not yet commenced. Workers point out that despite completion of the building, the facility remains unused because the necessary equipment and technical infrastructure have not been installed.

As a result, patients requiring MRI scans are being referred to private hospitals or diagnostic centres to undergo the procedure. Having access to advanced medical tests at the Main Hospital would save both time and money for patients and their families.

The situation becomes troublesome during medical emergencies, causing significant hardship to patients. Authorities should make modern medical facilities available at the hospital, the workers demanded, while questioning the point of leaving the building unused for so long.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Telangana Boggu Ghani Karmika Sangham (TBGKS) State general secretary Kapu Krishna said the process to install an MRI facility at the SCCL Main Hospital was initiated during the BRS regime.

“It is sad that there is no progress in the past two years in making the facility available for patients. The SCCL authorities should speed up the process of installing the MRI machine for the benefit of the workers,” he demanded.

In the past, patients from areas such as Bellampalli, Ramagundam and Mancherial used to be referred to the Kothagudem Singareni Main Hospital for complex medical treatment. But now, there has been an increase in referrals to corporate hospitals in Hyderabad for the purpose.

The workers are asking the management to focus on developing permanent medical infrastructure at the Main Hospital rather than inviting doctors from corporate hospitals in Hyderabad to visit Kothagudem weekly to conduct medical camps.