Jhajjar civil hospital ultrasound unit shut for 10 days, patients hit hard

Ultrasound services remain suspended at the Civil Hospital in Jhajjar for nearly 10 days, forcing patients to turn to private diagnostic centres and pay steep fees for essential tests.

The disruption began after the hospital’s lone sonographer retired on November 30. With no replacement appointed so far, the ultrasound machine has been lying idle and patients have been compelled to seek services outside.

“At the civil hospital, no fee is charged for the ultrasound test, whereas private diagnostic centres charge between Rs 700 and Rs 900. As most patients visiting the civil hospital come from economically humble backgrounds, they are left with no choice but to bear these heavy expenses,” said the sources.

District health authorities have arranged free ultrasound services only for ANC (antenatal care) cases at two private hospitals under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.

A doctor posted at the Civil Hospital said many patients prefer private hospitals within the city despite the availability of ultrasound facilities at government hospitals in Bahadurgarh (Jhajjar) and Rohtak. “Ultrasound facilities are available at the nearest government hospitals in Bahadurgarh (Jhajjar) and Rohtak, but patients avoid going there due to the travel involved. Instead, they prefer local private hospitals for ultrasound tests so they can receive treatment on the same day,” he said.

Parveen, a local resident suffering from abdominal pain, said he had no choice but to pay Rs 900 at a private hospital. “Later, I came to know that ultrasound tests are not being conducted these days due to the non-availability of a sonographer. I had no option but to visit a private hospital for the test so that I could start treatment for my abdominal pain,” he added.

Sources also revealed that the retired sonographer has approached authorities with an offer to continue working during the afternoon shift to ease the crisis.

Senior Medical Officer Dr Gurjeet Singh said they have already written to the state health department for immediate deployment of a sonographer. “We have requested the state authorities to provide a sonographer at the earliest so that the ultrasound facility could resume at the hospital,” he said.