Three x-ray machines left unused for five years at Apeksha Hospital

Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi has found that three imported x-ray machines placed at the Apeksha Hospital at Maharagama had not been even opened for the past five years, hospital sources said.

The minister who was on an inspection tour to the hospital on January 1 had inquired as to why the three machines, which were imported at a cost of Rs.1,200 million, had been left idling.

The hospital management has said that the machines were imported in 2014 by the Mahinda Rajapaksa Government and therefore, the use of machines had been suspended.

A Hospital Director has said that a transformer was needed to put the machines in operation. He has informed the Minister that the previous government has failed to approve Rs.3.1 million to purchase the transformer.

Accordingly, the minister has taken steps to allocate the sum of Rs.3.1 million then and there and had instructed to operationalize the three machines before April for the benefit of the patients.

The Hospital Director has said there were two functioning x-ray machines already at the hospital but only 60 patients could receive their service on a daily basis.

It is learnt that with the operationalization of the new three machines, about 150 patients could be examined daily.

Apeksha Hospital Director Dr. Wasantha Dissanayake and the staff were present at the occasion. (Jayantha Samarakoon)