Mumbai: Officials of the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have said that the report of probe into the death of 32-year-old Rajesh Maru, who was pulled into the MRI machine along with the oxygen cylinder he was carrying, is inconclusive. Meanwhile, another BMC official will continue the inquiry and submit a detailed report within 10 days.
The first inquiry was carried out by deputy municipal commissioner (DMC-public health) Sunil Dhamne and the report was submitted last week. “The report is not complete. There are certain aspects that have not been covered. We have to look into the matter in entirety and get a full report,” said additional municipal commissioner Idzes Kundan, adding that she will be appointing another DMC to complete the probe.
The MRI machine has been lying defunct since the incident at Nair Hospital. The hospital authorities are yet to submit a proposal to repair it. “We will do the necessary arrangement once we get the proposal from the dean of the hospital,” said Ms. Kundan. She also said that the civic body is in the process of strengthening diagnostic services through public private partnership (PPP) model.
“The waiting list for diagnostic services like CT scan and MRI is up to three months,” said Ms. Kundan.
She said getting bidders becomes difficult due to the low rates in civic hospitals. She cited an example of how a tender had to be struck down as no bidder would agree for the MRI cost at the BMC rate of ₹2,500. The bidders were demanding ₹3,500 with the cost of the contrast dye factored in. The civic body eventually called for another tender and agreed to pay for the dye on its own to keep the cost low for patients. Maru died on January 27 at Nair Hospital. He was accompanying a relative, who was to undergo an MRI scan. While the Agripada police have registered an FIR and booked four hospital staff, including two doctors, the civic body had set up a parallel inquiry.
