Bengaluru: Patients, especially pregnant women, have to wait in long queues for scans at the Hind Labs unit in KC General Hospital, which has become popular because of affordable rates.
“I am 6 months pregnant, and I have been waiting here for my ultrasound scan for a long time. The prices here for the scans are much cheaper comparatively, so there is a lot of rush. It usually takes a whole day to get the scan done. You can see many pregnant women getting tired waiting for their turn,” Roopa said.
Another pregnant woman, Suma, said, “I have been standing here for the last three hours. I saw a seven month pregnant woman waiting for her report since morning. She was crying in pain as she could not stand or sit. Also, the doctors are not present here all the time. They are there just in the morning and afternoon.”
Kishore, a lab technician of Hind Labs, said, “We don’t have doctors are not available round the clock. Reports usually take 30 minutes to one hour, but because of the rush it takes longer. We don’t have any services for emergency cases coming in at night, forcing us to send them elsewhere. We are planning to bring in a doctor for the evening shift from 4 pm, from next month.” With rates for CT scans, ultrasound, thyroid tests and others priced nearly 60 percent lesser than other centres, the Hind Labs unit is attracting many patients.
