In just seven months, the newly launched Radiology Unit at Alappuzha General Hospital (GH) has provided MRI and CT scans to 3,600 people at highly concessional rates, making advanced diagnostics more affordable for the public.
Of these, 450 patients underwent MRI scans and 3,150 received CT scans. While private centres charge around ₹6,000 for an MRI and ₹3,000 for a CT scan, the hospital offers them for ₹2,500 and ₹1,300, respectively. X-rays have been provided to 32,000 patients at just ₹100 each.
The State government invested ₹20 crore to equip the unit with advanced facilities within the newly built OP block, constructed with ₹117 crore from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board. For patients from extremely poor backgrounds, services are free, while BPL patients requiring emergency care pay less than half the regular rate.
The hospital features a state-of-the-art 1.5 Tesla Siemens Magnetom Sempra MRI machine with AI technology, a Siemens 16-slice Somatom Go Now CT scanner, a mammography unit for early breast cancer detection, an OPG machine for dental diagnostics, and a modern ultrasound system — all offered at significantly lower rates compared to private facilities.
Consultant radiologist Dr. S. Geetha noted that the rates are even lower than in government hospitals elsewhere in Kerala. X-ray and CT services are available 24/7, while MRI scans can be booked from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with up to eight scans performed daily and a maximum two-day wait for non-emergency cases.