MCD CT and MRI services will be offered at rates 20% below Central Government Health Scheme rates at three municipal hospitals in Delhi under a public-private partnership, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi said on Tuesday.
The facilities will be introduced at Hindu Rao Hospital, Swami Dayanand Hospital and Rajan Babu Institute of Pulmonary Medicine and Tuberculosis. The proposal has been approved by the MCD, according to Standing Committee chairperson Satya Sharma and a press release issued by the civic body.
The project will involve an estimated private investment of ₹120 crore over a 10-year concession period. The private agency will bear the entire expenditure, while the MCD will provide the required space and retain ownership of the hospital premises.
The investment is expected to include about ₹40 crore in capital expenditure for installing diagnostic machines and related infrastructure. A further ₹80 crore has been earmarked as operational expenditure over the concession period, according to the details released by the MCD.
Under the project, the three hospitals will receive a minimum of three 128-slice CT scan machines and three 1.5 Tesla MRI machines across the facilities. They will also be equipped with a Radiology Information System and Picture Archiving and Communication System, known as RIS/PACS, for digital reporting and management of diagnostic records.
CT scans and MRI examinations are essential for diagnosing a range of medical conditions, but access to such services can be constrained by equipment availability and patient costs. By linking the rates to the CGHS schedule and setting them 20% lower, the MCD proposal is intended to make investigations more affordable for residents using corporation-run hospitals.
Ms. Sharma said the initiative was aimed at providing modern healthcare facilities at affordable rates to common citizens, particularly patients from economically weaker sections. She said the project would improve access to essential medical investigations and expand the availability of modern diagnostic facilities in MCD hospitals.
The arrangement places responsibility for equipment installation, capital spending and operations with the private agency, while the civic body continues to own the facilities. The use of RIS/PACS will also allow diagnostic reports and records to be managed digitally within the participating hospitals.
The MCD has not specified in the announcement when the machines will be installed or when patient services will begin. The next operational milestones will depend on the implementation of the PPP agreement and the installation of the diagnostic infrastructure at the three hospitals.
