Patients face inconvenience as Bowring hospital runs out of X-ray photo films

BENGALURU: Patients at the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in the city have been facing inconvenience in getting medical X-ray reports due to a lack of photo film stocks.

The patients have been returning empty-handed and without their reports for the past week. Due to the lack of X-ray films in the hospital, the staff only allow patients or attendants to click photos of the reports on their mobile phones to be shown to the doctors in the hospital.

The patients waiting at Bowring Hospital for their turn to take their X-ray report.

The patients will need an X-ray report if they are going to another hospital for treatment. Many people come to the hospital for treatment from different parts of the state and without the medical X-ray films, they are facing a lot of issues.

The dean of the hospital, Dr Manoj, said that the tender of the private company that supplies X-ray film to the hospital has expired after two years and that a new tender has been called. “The problem will be solved as soon as possible. The order was placed on Tuesday and the new tender will be called for another two years. It is not possible to buy films on a regular basis as they cost around Rs 60–70 each. The X-ray films will be purchased for two years” he explained.

Deva, who came for treatment at Bowring Hospital.

“I came in the morning for an X-ray. First of all, no one gave me directions to the X-ray centre and when I reached there, they said the film was not available. We have to capture it on our mobile phones. If we have to show it to another hospital, we do not know whether they will accept it. The X-ray film has been unavailable for the past two days due to a shortage”, said Deva, who came to Bowring Hospital for treatment.