Bhubaneswar: After a shortage of emergency beds and disruption in routine diagnostic tests, AIIMS Bhubaneswar is now grappling with the breakdown of its CT scan machine as well as some ultrasound machines, forcing patients, many from humble backgrounds, to visit costly private diagnostic centres. The CT scan machine and some ultrasound machines at the premier tertiary care hospital reportedly stopped functioning on Thursday. The executive director of AIIMS Bhubaneswar, Dr Ashutosh Biswas, has said that he would personally look into the matter and resolve the issue.Patients and their attendants, meanwhile, wondered how a premier tertiary care hospital like AIIMS Bhubaneswar functions without a CT scan facility. Satyendu Patnaik, a patient attendant, said he had sought an early date for a CT scan for his relative but could not get one. “When I asked for the reason, a hospital staff member said the CT scan machine had not been working since Thursday,” he said.Patnaik added doctors had to advise an MRI as the CT scan facility was unavailable. “MRI is not a bad option, but that slot could have been used for another patient who actually needed the test. Now, MRI services will be overburdened,” he said.Patients also said private clinics and radiodiagnosis centres charge high fees for CT scans, making it difficult for poor and middle-class families to afford such tests.“A poor patient cannot afford tests at private centres. A majority of the patients visiting AIIMS Bhubaneswar belong to poor and middle-class families,” said health activist Gouranga Mohapatra.Sources at the institution said some ultrasound machines were also not functioning, while one X-ray machine was yet to be repaired.Dr Biswas said he would visit the radiodiagnosis department to check the status of the CT scan and ultrasound machines.Earlier, TOI had reported on the shortage of emergency beds at AIIMS Bhubaneswar and its impact on trauma and emergency patients. It had also highlighted the suspension of routine diagnostic tests such as urine R/M, CBC, TSH and others. Following the reports, the national institution resumed the routine diagnostic services.