• 60 patients referred per month for scans for tumours, growths  

The island’s dedicated hospital for patients with mental health conditions is in need of a Computed Tomography (CT) scanner to carry out essential diagnostic tests for psychiatric patients, the Government Radiological Technologists Association (GRTA) said.

The President of the GRTA, Chanaka Dharmawickrama, speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (27), said that the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is facing difficulties due to the lack of a CT scanner.

He said that earlier, patients from the NIMH were referred to the National Hospital, Colombo, or the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) for CT scans. He noted that around 60 patients are referred each month for CT scanning. In some cases, their conditions may be linked to other illnesses such as brain tumours or growths, and the scans are required to determine the primary cause of their mental health condition. He also pointed out that there is a waiting list of about one month. Dharmawickrama said that unlike other patients who voluntarily seek medical care, NIMH patients often have to be persuaded or even compelled to undergo tests. 

He added that the Hospital also has forensic and prison wards. Patients in these wards also require CT scans. In both cases, transporting patients outside the Hospital for scanning is considered unsafe or risky. He said that the Hospital is already more secure and self-contained than many other State hospitals due to the nature of its patients. Therefore, moving patients by ambulance for CT scans carries a risk for the staff and the patient.

He said that there had been a request from the NIMH for a CT scanner that was being removed from the National Hospital, Colombo as the latter was due to receive a new machine. However, following damage to the District General Hospital, Chilaw during Cyclone Ditwah last (2025) November, the Health Ministry had decided to redirect that CT scanner to the Chilaw Hospital instead.

The Director of the NIMH, Dr. Dhammika Alahapperuma, when contacted for comment, noted that the scan test needed to be carried out to primarily determine the cause of the brain trauma of the patient. However, there are positive and negative sides of having a CT scan owing to the cost involved. For instance, there should be a place to set up the CT machine, technicians to operate it, etc., which would all involve a cost, he noted.