Mumbai, June 6 -- Pregnant women visiting VN Desai Hospital in Mumbai's Santacruz are facing growing distress as the civic hospital's sonography services have been suspended for over a month due to the absence of a radiologist. Expectant mothers, many from low-income households, are being forced to travel to distant public hospitals or pay out-of-pocket for expensive scans at private diagnostic centres. The disruption stems from a staffing crisis. According to hospital superintendent Dr Jayaraj Acharya, the radiologist formery employed at the facility left for further studies abroad. "We advertised to fill the vacancy, but have not yet received a suitable candidate. Until then, we are referring patients to Bhabha Hospital." These referrals have added to the burden on other civic hospitals which are already grappling with long queues and heavy caseloads. With hour-long wait times, many women - especially those in advanced stages of pregnancy - say the situation has become unbearable. Shahid Syed, a daily wage worker who brought his wife Rabia to VN Desai Hospital for a routine antenatal check-up, said, "The doctor told us to get a sonography done, but said it couldn't be done here. We were advised to go to another hospital or a private centre, which charges much more than we can afford," he said. Like Rabia, several women report being advised to visit private labs, where basic sonography tests cost Rs.800 to Rs.2,500-an unaffordable amount for many who depend on free care. Azmi Khan, in her eighth month of pregnancy, said she had no choice but to undergo two sonography tests at private centres after being told services were unavailable at VN Desai. "They asked me to go to Bhabha Hospital, but it's overcrowded and far from where I live. Running around like this is very difficult," said Khan. Rukhsana Ansari, whose daughter-in-law is nearing her delivery date, said, "They had asked for a scan a month ago, but with no doctor here, we had to get it done privately. It's expensive and not something poor families can afford." Residents have urged the BMC to fill the vacant radiologist post at VN Desai Hospital, warning that the lack of sonography services risks maternal and fetal health....