The President of the Radiology Technologists Association of the Government, Chanaka Dharmavikrama, has revealed that a CT scan machine worth 14 crore rupees, brought to Matara General Hospital by air, has been left stranded in the cargo container terminal of the airport for two months without undergoing clearance procedures.
Dharmavikrama highlights the Ministry of Health’s inaction in releasing the container containing the machine since its arrival at Katunayake Airport on December 16 last year. Concerns are raised regarding the storage conditions of the machine, which requires specific humidity and temperature levels, during this period.
Additionally, Dharmavikrama notes that the warehousing charges for the CT scan machine at the airport have exceeded twenty lakh rupees. Under these circumstances, there is a risk that the machine’s performance may be compromised in the future.
The current CT scan machine available at Matara General Hospital, which is 18 years old, frequently experiences breakdowns and is limited in the number of tests it can perform. Consequently, the new machine, initially intended for the Outpatient Department of Colombo National Hospital, was redirected to Matara Hospital, which serves as the only CT examination facility in the Matara district.
