The state government would procure an additional 490 ventilators and nine MRI machines, which will be provided to government hospitals like Gandhi, Osmania, MGM and others.

This was disclosed by Health Minister C Damodar Raja Narsimha while replying to various questions on the lack of ventilators in government hospitals asked by CPI leader K Sambasiva Rao and others during the Question Hour on Monday.

The minister said that 1,770 ventilators were functional in government hospitals across the state. Over 485 additional ventilators worth Rs 58 crore are presently under procurement, scheduled for installation by February 2026. For tertiary hospitals, all requisite equipment is assessed in 2024 as per NMC norms and is presently under procurement.

The minister further said that there were only four MRIs at Gandhi, Osmania, RIMS Adilabad, and MGM Warangal. Now, eight new MRI machines are being procured worth Rs 192 crore and will be installed by March 2026 at Mahbubnagar, Suryapet, Nizamabad, Nalgonda, Siddipet, Niloufer Hospital (Centre of Excellence for Pediatrics), with additional MRIs at Osmania and Gandhi Hospitals to cater to heavy patient footfalls.

In addition, eight new CT machines worth Rs 60 crore are scheduled for installation by March 2026. In 2025, a new LINAC machine worth Rs 32 crore was recently provided to MNJ Hospital to provide radiation therapy for cancer patients.

Regarding NIMS, the minister said that in 2025, Rs 18 crore worth of equipment was already installed in the Neurosurgery Department. In addition, 15 new ventilators are under procurement and will be installed by January 2026.

At NIMS, a new additional LINAC machine worth Rs 32 crore and Brachytherapy machines worth Rs 8 crore are also under procurement and will be functional by March 2026.

The minister said that NIMS was receiving patients beyond its capacity. The number of patients arriving at NIMS on ventilators from private and corporate hospitals at the last minute has increased. To meet the increased demand, 125 additional ventilators are being set up at NIMS. He also said the government would fill approximately 850 new posts at NIMS.

Stating that last year, the government had introduced 213 new ambulances, and with this, the emergency response time has been reduced from 18 minutes to 13 minutes, the minister said that this year, the government would set up another 79 new ambulances. Once these become available, the emergency response time will be reduced to 10 minutes. He said that in the last two years, 16 new dialysis centres were established.