JJ Hospital’s CD move irks patients

A move by JJ Hospital to cut costs hasn’t gone down too well with patients who’ve suffered a great deal of inconvenience because of it. Two patients who got their magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computerised tomography (CT) scan, and X-Ray done at the hospital on Tuesday faced issues with their reports, which are on a compact disc (CD).

The patients said that the CD could not be read outside the hospital as J.J. Hospital had the necessary in-house software to view the reports internally. Most patients staying outside Mumbai have to make trips to the hospital to view the contents of the CD. The move to use CDs has been in line with a circular on cost cutting. However, reports are not being written onto CDs properly.

According to Bhikaji Jadhav, a resident of Panvel, “I am suffering from stomach ailments and am visiting this department for the third time as the CD provided by the hospital is not working outside the hospital. It is not feasible for me to travel here. I need to show my reports to my physicians as well but since the CD is not working, it is hard for me.”

Meanwhile, another patient named Irshad Shaikh said, “I stay at Mumbra. I have appendix problems. Frequently, I need to get my scanning done. But these people are providing me a CD which is not functional either at my family physician’s or any other hospital where I go for a second opinion.”

However, JJ Hospital dean, Dr T. P. Lahane, said, “It’s a circular to save money. We have been saving money but there must be some technology default which I need to verify with the concerned department. I assure that patients will not be troubled.”

Patients have often complained about the rates of CDs that are sold here at twice the market rates and it is a compulsion to buy them from here.