Hospital shocker: Patient asked to buy gown for scan

Neethi R (name changed) was taken to the Stanley Medical College and Hospital last week for an MRI scan of her brain and spine, after she was prescribed to undergo the test. 

After having received an appointment for the scan in the Neurology Department, her relative who accompanied her, was shocked when she was asked to purchase a gown and come for the scan. 

“I have never heard of such a thing. The staff then asked me to step outside the hospital, purchase a nighty and return for the scan. They said it would not take me long,” said Saranya R, the girl’s attender. 

“In fact, I had to wait for some time before they even asked me to go buy the dress. However, as Neethi was wearing a petticoat, we managed to convince the staff that purchasing a nighty was not necessary,” added Saranya. 

When contacted by DTNext, Stanley Hospital officials said they do not demand that patients buy nighties, except on rare occasions. 

“Sometimes, if we face a shortage of gowns, we request the patients to buy nighties,” said a staff at the hospital. 

Stating that hospital gowns need to be worn only in the case of an MRI of the spine – not unless the patient is wearing a dress with embroidery having any metallic design — Deputy Medical Superintendent Dr Dhanasekaran Krishnan said, “We have 10 aprons and not more than two to three patients require them each day. It is therefore absurd that patients are being asked to buy nighties. However, we  will now conduct surprise checks in the coming days to identify such cases.”