LUCKNOW, April 14 -- Long waiting periods for critical diagnostic tests are pushing seriously ill patients at Lucknow's premier government hospitals toward expensive private facilities. Diagnostic delays at King George's Medical University (KGMU) and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences (RMLIMS) are ranging from several days to nearly a month.

At KGMU, patients needing Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Computed Tomography (CT) to detect, stage, and monitor cancers, heart diseases, and brain abnormalities, are given appointments one month later. Prof KK Singh, KGMU spokesperson, acknowledged the delays stem from excessive workload across departments. "The waiting period is long," he said. "However, patients in the Lari ...