A 20-year-old sexual assault survivor has been denied a critical MRI scan for days at the government-run Gokuldas Tejpal (GT) Hospital, exposing bureaucratic delays that leave vulnerable patients like her fighting a creaky system that refuses medical care to those who most need it. Under Maharashtra government guidelines, rape survivors are entitled to free medical treatment at public hospitals — a provision that explicitly includes diagnostic procedures such as MRI scans. The survivor, a resident of Sion, was discovered in an unconscious state at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus late on April 5. CSMT Railway Police personnel admitted her to St George Hospital in the early hours of April 6, where she regaining consciousness. She said that she had left home without informing her family, travelling first to Thane and then to Panvel, where she was allegedly abducted by a taxi driver and sexually assaulted. She has no memory of how she reached to CSMT. A First Information Report (FIR) was registered at the CSMT Police Station. Given her medical history — she has a seizure disorder — doctors at St George Hospital recommended an MRI scan to assess her neurological condition. She was referred to GT Hospital for this. However, the radiology department at GT Hospital raised concerns over payment for the MRI scan. As per protocol, such matters — especially involving medico-legal cases and vulnerable patients — can be escalated to the Dean, who has discretionary authority to approve fee waivers. In this case, the matter reached Dean Dr Jitendra Deshmukh. Despite having full authority to grant immediate approval, he neither sanctioned the waiver nor issued alternative instructions, effectively halting the process. A source familiar with the developments described the inaction bluntly, “The Dean has the ultimate authority. Even the Superintendent cannot override that. This required an urgent decision — a matter of instant justice. But that decision never came.” Due to the survivor’s seizure disorder, conducting an MRI without sedation posed potential risks. The radiology team at GT Hospital flagged the need for an anaesthesiologist to be present during the scan, in line with standard safety protocols. With no administrative clarity or financial approval, the process remained in limbo. Eventually, with no resolution in sight, the patient was sent back to St. George Hospital — without undergoing the MRI scan. Days Later, Still No Scan As of the time of reporting, several days after her admission, the survivor remains without the MRI. Repeated attempts by Mumbai Mirror to contact Dr Deshmukh and St George Medical Superintendent Dr Vinayak Sawardekar for comment went unanswered.

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