Archive · 3 Sep 2026
At LNJP, MRI Shortages Leave Patients Waiting Until 2028
Lok Nayak Hospital in Delhi has many patients who need scans.
It currently has only one working MRI machine and one working CT scanner.
Because so many people need tests, some patients receive appointments months or years later.
One patient was told to wait until December 2028 for a brain MRI.
The hospital says its MRI machine can complete only about 10 scans each day.
Doctors and other staff are also stretched because there are not enough workers.
The health minister says a new MRI machine and CT scanner have been installed and are being tested.
Hospital specialists say the new MRI may help, but more staff and equipment are still needed.
Some patients are sent to private testing centres through a government assistance scheme.
A patient seeking a follow-up brain MRI was given an appointment for December 21, 2028.
Lok Nayak Hospital has one functional MRI machine and one functional CT scanner.
The hospital’s outpatient department receives more than 5,000 patients daily.
Radiology staff say the existing MRI unit completes only about 10 successful scans a day.
A new MRI machine and a CT scanner procured through Indian Oil’s CSR initiative are undergoing trials.
- Who
- Patients at Lok Nayak Hospital, hospital radiology staff, Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Singh, and Indian Oil Corporation Limited are involved.
- What
- Long waits for diagnostic scans have been reported at the hospital, including an MRI appointment scheduled for December 21, 2028.
- When
- The patient received the 2028 appointment after seeking a follow-up MRI; a new MRI machine was installed the week before the minister’s statement.
- Where
- Lok Nayak Hospital in Delhi, particularly its diagnostic and radiology departments.
- Why
- The hospital has high patient demand, only one functional MRI and CT machine, and shortages of radiologists and other staff.
Government Response
Hospital Specialists
Whether new machines will reduce waits
Government Response
Health Minister Pankaj Singh said a new MRI machine was installed to reduce the waiting period, while a CT scanner was also under trial.
Hospital Specialists
Radiology specialists said a single MRI machine would address only part of the problem because staff shortages and limited operating capacity remain.
Main solution to the backlog
Government Response
The government has procured equipment through Indian Oil Corporation Limited’s corporate social responsibility initiative.
Hospital Specialists
A senior doctor said shortages of staff and infrastructure must be addressed rather than relying on private providers to absorb demand.
Use of private testing centres
Government Response
Hospital officials said patients are referred to private centres through the Delhi Arogya Kosh scheme when LNJP cannot meet diagnostic demand.
Hospital Specialists
A senior doctor described the referrals as an unofficial pressure valve that helps the public system but allows private providers to profit from unmet public demand.
- Hospital
- Lok Nayak Hospital, Delhi
- Daily outpatient volume
- More than 5,000 patients
- Functional equipment
- One MRI machine and one CT scanner
- MRI capacity
- About 10 successful scans per day
- Reported appointment
- December 21, 2028
- New equipment
- One MRI machine and one CT scanner installed or under trial
- Diagnostic referrals
- LNJP referred between 347 and 439 patients monthly under the Delhi Arogya Kosh scheme from January through July