Administrative Delays Cost Lives

The prolonged breakdown of CT scan machines in three of Jammu’s five major government hospitals exposes a troubling picture of administrative inertia and misplaced priorities in public healthcare. Diagnostic services like CT scans are not luxuries; they are essential tools for timely and accurate treatment. Yet, patients in Jammu are being denied this basic facility for months—and in some cases, over a year.

Hospitals such as the Super Speciality Hospital, Shri Maharaja Gulab Singh (SMGS) Hospital, and the Chest Diseases Hospital cater to critical departments including neurology, cardiology, pediatrics, obstetrics, and tuberculosis care. The failure to keep CT scan machines operational in these institutions has forced patients to shuttle between hospitals like GMC Jammu and the Bone & Joint Hospital, which are already overburdened. Predictably, long waiting periods have become the norm, defeating the very purpose of referral-based healthcare.

The human cost of this failure is severe. Patients and their attendants are compelled to make repeated hospital visits, often in distressing medical conditions. Many are left with no option but to seek expensive diagnostic tests at private clinics, placing an unfair financial burden on families that depend on government hospitals precisely because they cannot afford private care. This effectively turns a public health failure into an economic injustice.

What makes the situation more disturbing is the absence of urgency. Despite assurances from hospital administrations and officials that procurement processes are underway, delays continue unabated. The fact that approvals for some hospitals are still pending reflects a lack of coordination and accountability within the system. When machines meant to serve thousands remain non-functional for months, explanations sound hollow.

Beyond immediate procurement, this crisis highlights a deeper structural flaw in healthcare planning. The absence of preventive maintenance schedules, contingency arrangements, and equipment redundancy shows that hospital infrastructure is being managed reactively rather than strategically. Essential diagnostic machinery should never be allowed to reach a point of complete collapse without alternatives in place. A robust public healthcare system anticipates failures and prepares backups—especially in regions where government hospitals are the primary lifeline for the population.

Equally important is the need for transparency and public accountability. Citizens have a right to know why critical machines remain defunct for prolonged periods, who is responsible for the delays, and what corrective measures are being taken. Regular public disclosures, time-bound repair or replacement deadlines, and independent audits could help restore trust in the system. Without accountability, such failures risk becoming routine, eroding confidence in government healthcare and pushing more patients toward an already expensive and unequal private sector.

Healthcare governance must be measured not by statements, but by outcomes. The authorities must fast-track procurement, ensure proper maintenance contracts, and fix responsibility for such prolonged disruptions. Diagnostics are the backbone of modern medicine, and neglecting them undermines the entire healthcare delivery system.

Jammu’s patients deserve better than excuses and endless waiting. Restoring CT scan services promptly is not just an administrative task—it is a moral and public health imperative.