Delhi’s Municipal Corporation has approved a project to offer CT scans and MRI tests at rates 20% below the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) rates at three major civic hospitals, targeting patients who need advanced diagnostic services but may struggle to afford them.
The MCD standing committee cleared the 10-year project for Hindu Rao Hospital, Swami Dayanand Hospital and Rajan Babu Institute of Pulmonary Medicine and Tuberculosis. Under the plan, patients visiting these facilities will be able to access the two diagnostic services at subsidised rates once the project is implemented.
The project will be delivered through a public-private partnership model. The private agency appointed under the contract will bear the full estimated expenditure, while the MCD will provide space within the hospitals. Ownership of the premises will remain with the civic body, according to information released by the corporation.
The estimated cost of the project over 10 years is ₹120 crore. This includes approximately ₹40 crore in capital expenditure for installing the equipment and making related arrangements, and around ₹80 crore in operational expenditure during the contract period.
The plan provides for at least three 128-slice CT scan machines and three 1.5-tesla MRI machines, with one CT scanner and one MRI machine planned for each of the three hospitals. The equipment specifications indicate that the project is intended to expand access to modern imaging facilities within the MCD’s hospital network rather than rely only on existing diagnostic capacity.
The project will also include a Radiology Information System and Picture Archiving and Communication System, or RIS/PACS. These digital systems are designed to support reporting and the management of diagnostic records, allowing images and reports to be handled through an organised hospital information workflow.
In a press release, the MCD said the expansion would make modern diagnostic facilities more accessible and help patients obtain essential medical tests at lower cost. The corporation said the proposed arrangement would strengthen its healthcare infrastructure while reducing the financial burden associated with major diagnostic procedures.
Satya Sharma, chairperson of the MCD standing committee, said the civic body’s objective was to provide modern healthcare services at affordable rates, particularly for economically weaker patients. She said the implementation of the project at the three hospitals would allow patients to access advanced diagnostic facilities at lower prices.
The approval places the project within the MCD’s wider hospital service network, where the availability of diagnostic equipment can determine whether patients receive timely testing without being referred to private facilities. The source report does not specify the exact patient tariffs after the 20% reduction, the name of the private agency, or the implementation date.
The next steps will involve finalising the contractual arrangement, installing the machines and putting the digital reporting systems into operation at the three hospitals. The project is scheduled to run for 10 years, with the MCD retaining ownership of the hospital premises throughout the period.
