KARACHI: The Executive Director of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Professor Shahid Rasul, has written a formal letter to the Secretary of Health, Government of Sindh, requesting the waiver of diagnostic test charges for poor and low-income patients visiting the hospital.
In the letter, Prof. Shahid Rasul highlighted that JPMC receives patients from across Pakistan, many of whom belong to underprivileged and working-class families. He noted that diagnostic services such as CT scans and MRI tests often become unaffordable for these patients, despite the nominal rates approved by the Finance Department.
“The Radiology Department of this Centre is receiving charges from poor people for conducting some tests. These were approved by the Finance Department, and the money is deposited in the Treasury. It is therefore requested that these charges from poor patients may please be waived off in the larger interest of poor and needy patients,” the letter stated.
A rate list attached with the letter shows the charges for various CT and MRI tests, ranging from Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 3,500. The Executive Director emphasized that waiving these fees would provide significant relief to financially constrained patients and ensure equitable access to essential diagnostic services at JPMC.
If approved by the Sindh Health Department, this decision will allow thousands of deserving patients to undergo vital medical tests free of cost.
