An MRI scanner at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL) has been identified as needing replacement due to outdated technological quality, according to the Ministry of Health’s Division of Biomedical Engineering Services (BMES).
BMES Director S.A.J. Karunathilake said that while most of the medical equipment, including MRI machines and CT scanners, were in working condition, certain older devices were becoming obsolete and required urgent replacement.
“There are certain issues. We do use old equipment and some of them are obsolete and need to be replaced,” he said.
However, he assured that other machines remained functional and that doctors and hospital staff were continuing to operate them as usual.
According to him, the outdated MRI scanner at the NHSL is not the only piece of medical equipment in need of replacement and the procurement of new medical devices, such as MRI machines and CT scanners, is already underway.
A major procurement project for a cardiac catheterisation lab (cath lab) at the Badulla Teaching Hospital, however, is currently on hold due to a complaint submitted to the Bribery Commission.
Karunathilake said the Asian Development Bank (ADB) would provide approximately $ 10 million and additional funds from the European Islamic Investment Bank and loans from the World Bank were expected to be allocated for purchasing new MRI machines and CT scanners.
He revealed plans to acquire two medical linear accelerators for hospitals in Badulla and Anuradhapura, with additional high-end equipment to be purchased using Government funds.
Approximately 40 CT scan machines are operational in Sri Lankan hospitals, with nearly half requiring urgent replacement. The country also has 12 MRI machines, although concerns about their maintenance persist.
At the NHSL, only two out of four MRI machines are currently operational, with issues such as foreign objects obstructing the machines. In one case, baby diapers were found blocking an MRI scanner.
Additionally, a machine donated by Japan is expected to be replaced due to a factory fault.
According to the Ministry of Health’s Performance and Progress Report for 2023, Rs. 256.14 million has been spent from the allocated Rs. 2,600 million budget for medical equipment procurement.
Furthermore, Rs. 1,036.15 million has been spent on service and maintenance agreements, as well as the procurement of spare parts, from an allocated Rs. 4,000 million.
Diagnostic imaging services at the Sri Jayewardenepura Hospital include MRI scans for the brain at Rs. 16,450 and MRI scans for the spine/lumbar spine/thoracic spine at Rs. 15,700.
CT scans for the brain are priced at Rs. 7,500 and CT scans for the abdomen at Rs. 14,250. These prices are significantly lower than those at private hospitals.
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