Everything below is an indicative range, not a teaser figure. The low end of each range is a plain study on 1.5T; the high end is a 3T or contrast-enhanced study. Your exact figure is confirmed against your prescription before you travel, and it includes contrast if it turns out to be needed, films, a CD and the radiologist's report.
Placeholder pricing
The figures on this page are realistic market ranges for Dehradun, inserted as placeholders. Replace every table with your own audited rate card before publishing, and set a calendar reminder to review them at least twice a year.
What each study costs across the Doon Valley
| Study | Indicative cost | Time | Contrast |
|---|---|---|---|
| MRI Brain — plain | ₹3,500 – ₹7,000 {{VERIFY}} | 20–30 min | No |
| MRI Brain — plain + contrast | ₹8,000 – ₹9,500 {{VERIFY}} | 35–45 min | Yes |
| MRI Brain + Angiography | ₹6,500 – ₹9,500 {{VERIFY}} | 35–45 min | No |
| MRI Cervical Spine | ₹3,500 – ₹7,000 {{VERIFY}} | 20–30 min | No |
| MRI Dorsal Spine | ₹3,500 – ₹7,000 {{VERIFY}} | 20–30 min | No |
| MRI Lumbar Spine | ₹3,500 – ₹7,000 {{VERIFY}} | 20–30 min | No |
| MRI Whole Spine | ₹9,000 – ₹13,000 {{VERIFY}} | 40–55 min | Sometimes |
| MRI Knee | ₹3,500 – ₹7,000 {{VERIFY}} | 20–30 min | No |
| MRI Shoulder | ₹3,500 – ₹7,000 {{VERIFY}} | 20–30 min | No |
| MRI Hip / Ankle / Wrist | ₹3,500 – ₹7,000 {{VERIFY}} | 20–30 min | No |
| MRI Abdomen | ₹8,000 – ₹9,500 {{VERIFY}} | 30–45 min | Often |
| MRCP | ₹5,500 – ₹8,500 {{VERIFY}} | 25–35 min | No |
| MRI Pelvis | ₹5,500 – ₹9,000 {{VERIFY}} | 30–40 min | Often |
| Prostate mpMRI (3T) | ₹9,000 – ₹14,000 {{VERIFY}} | 35–45 min | Yes |
| MRI Sacroiliac joints | ₹4,500 – ₹7,000 {{VERIFY}} | 25–35 min | No |
| MRI Breast (bilateral) | ₹9,000 – ₹14,000 {{VERIFY}} | 35–45 min | Yes |
| Cardiac MRI | ₹12,000 – ₹18,000 {{VERIFY}} | 45–60 min | Usually |
| Whole Body MRI — screening | ₹18,000 – ₹24,000 {{VERIFY}} | 50–65 min | Usually no |
| Whole Body MRI — oncology | ₹22,000 – ₹28,000 {{VERIFY}} | 60–75 min | Sometimes |
| Add contrast to any study | add ₹2,500 – ₹4,000 {{VERIFY}} | add 10–15 min | — |
CT scan cost in Dehradun
| Study | Indicative cost | Time in room |
|---|---|---|
| CT Head — plain | ₹1,800 – ₹3,000 {{VERIFY}} | 5–10 min |
| CT Head — with contrast | ₹3,500 – ₹5,500 {{VERIFY}} | 15–20 min |
| CT Chest / HRCT | ₹3,000 – ₹5,000 {{VERIFY}} | 5–10 min |
| CT Abdomen & Pelvis — contrast | ₹5,000 – ₹8,000 {{VERIFY}} | 20–25 min |
| CT KUB — stone protocol | ₹2,500 – ₹4,000 {{VERIFY}} | 5–10 min |
| CT PNS / Temporal bone | ₹2,500 – ₹4,000 {{VERIFY}} | 5–10 min |
| CT any bone or joint | ₹2,500 – ₹4,500 {{VERIFY}} | 5–10 min |
| CT Pulmonary Angiography | ₹6,000 – ₹9,000 {{VERIFY}} | 15–20 min |
| CT Cerebral Angiography | ₹6,000 – ₹9,000 {{VERIFY}} | 15–20 min |
| CT Coronary Angiography | ₹8,000 – ₹12,000 {{VERIFY}} | 25–35 min |
PET-CT scan cost in Dehradun
| Study | Indicative cost | Total time |
|---|---|---|
| FDG PET-CT — whole body | ₹16,000 – ₹22,000 {{VERIFY}} | 2.5–3 hrs |
| FDG PET-CT — limited | ₹14,000 – ₹18,000 {{VERIFY}} | 2–2.5 hrs |
| PSMA PET-CT | ₹22,000 – ₹30,000 {{VERIFY}} | 2.5–3 hrs |
| DOTA PET-CT | ₹25,000 – ₹35,000 {{VERIFY}} | 2.5–3 hrs |
| Cardiac viability PET | ₹20,000 – ₹28,000 {{VERIFY}} | 3–3.5 hrs |
Estimate your scan before you call
Pick the study, the field strength and whether contrast is likely. The estimator returns the same all-inclusive band our coordinators quote on the phone, covering contrast where needed, films, CD and the radiologist’s report.
Scan cost estimator
Indicative only. Your exact figure is confirmed against your prescription. {{VERIFY}}
The four things that move the price
Almost the entire spread you see when calling around Dehradun comes down to four variables. If you understand these, you can compare quotes properly.
1. Field strength
A 3T system costs substantially more to purchase than a 1.5T, consumes more liquid helium, draws more electrical power, needs heavier radio-frequency shielding of the room, and carries a higher annual service contract. Those fixed costs are recovered across every scan performed, so a 3T study is priced higher.
What matters for you is that a 3T scan is not automatically better for your problem. For routine brain, spine and joint imaging both are fully diagnostic, and 1.5T actually produces less artefact if you have metal implants. Ask why 3T is being recommended for your specific question — a good answer is "because you need thin slices through the hippocampus"; a poor answer is "because it is the newest machine".
2. Contrast
Gadolinium is a genuine consumable. The dose is weight-based, so a heavier patient uses more of it. Beyond the agent itself, a contrast study needs a cannula, a nurse, a pre-scan renal function check, additional post-contrast sequences and a longer observation period afterwards. Together that typically adds ₹2,500 to ₹4,000.
The problem arises when contrast is not mentioned in the initial quote and then turns out to be needed once the plain images are reviewed. Ask upfront how that scenario is handled.
3. Number of regions
Each anatomical region is a separate acquisition with its own coil positioning, planning and sequence set. A whole spine study is genuinely three studies, which is why it costs roughly twice a single region rather than the same. Similarly, "MRI brain and cervical spine" is two studies, not one.
This is also why upgrading yourself from a lumbar study to whole spine is usually a false economy — you pay considerably more for coverage you did not need, and the individual levels are actually imaged at lower resolution.
4. Who reports it
This is the variable patients almost never ask about, and it is the one that most affects the value of what you are buying. A centre with an in-house senior radiologist carries a permanent salaried cost. A centre that uploads images to an outsourced overnight teleradiology service pays a fraction of that per report.
The difference shows up in three places: the protocol cannot be adapted mid-scan if something unexpected appears, the turnaround is longer, and your referring doctor cannot phone anyone to discuss an ambiguous finding. If two quotes differ by a couple of thousand rupees, this is frequently the reason.
Six questions before you pay anywhere
Ask these of us and of anyone else you are considering. The answers, more than the headline number, tell you what you are actually buying.
1. Is this 1.5T or 3T, and why that one?
A specific clinical justification is a good sign. "Ours is the best machine" is not an answer.
2. Does this include contrast if it is needed?
Establish what happens if the radiologist decides mid-study that contrast is required.
3. Are films, CD and report included?
These three are the most commonly unbundled line items at the counter.
4. Is the radiologist's fee inside this figure?
And is that radiologist on site, or is reporting sent out overnight?
5. When exactly will the report be ready?
"Same day" and "within 48 hours" are very different propositions when a treatment decision is waiting.
6. Is there a charge if the scan is repeated?
Motion artefact sometimes forces a repeat sequence. Know in advance whether that is billable.
Why the cheapest quote is often not the cheapest bill
A scan priced dramatically below everything else in the city is not usually generosity. It is normally explained by one of the following, and it is worth knowing which:
- Lower field strength. Some centres still operate 0.3T or 0.5T open systems. These have a legitimate role for large or severely claustrophobic patients, but image quality is not comparable to 1.5T and a subtle lesion can be missed.
- Reduced protocol. Fewer sequences means a shorter scan and more patients per day. It also means less information for the radiologist.
- Unbundled extras. The film, the CD, the contrast and the report each appearing as a separate line at the counter.
- Outsourced reporting. Cheaper per report, slower, and no radiologist available to discuss the findings.
- Old hardware. Ageing gradient systems and coils produce noisier images and longer scan times.
The reason this matters is that a repeat scan costs more than the difference. If a study is technically inadequate and has to be redone properly elsewhere, you have paid twice and lost a week — and in an oncology or neurological context that week can matter.
Insurance, CGHS and reimbursement
This causes a great deal of confusion, so here is the general position — verify the specifics with your own insurer, because policies vary.
- Standard indemnity health insurance generally covers diagnostics only when they are part of an admitted hospitalisation or a claimable day-care procedure. A purely outpatient MRI is normally excluded.
- Some policies include an annual health check-up benefit or an OPD rider that may cover part of a diagnostic scan. Check your policy schedule.
- If you are being admitted, or the scan is a pre-authorised part of a planned procedure, get pre-authorisation from the TPA before the scan, not after.
- CGHS, ECHS and state government schemes have their own empanelment lists and approved rate cards. Ask us about current empanelment status before booking.
- Always keep the prescription, the original bill, the report and the films. Reimbursement claims are refused more often for missing documents than for anything else.
Legitimate ways to reduce what you pay
- Bring your prior scans. Sometimes a targeted single-region study answers the question and a broader one is unnecessary.
- Get the prescription clarified first. Having your doctor state the exact study and side prevents the wrong region being scanned and paid for twice.
- Ask whether 1.5T is adequate. For most routine imaging it is, and the saving is real.
- Do not upgrade to whole spine or whole body without a clinical reason. Broader is not better; it is just broader.
- Ask about package rates if you need more than one study, and about concessions for senior citizens or ongoing oncology surveillance.
- Use the free pick-up and drop rather than paying for transport separately.
- Check empanelment before you book if you have CGHS, ECHS or a corporate tie-up.
Get an exact figure, not a range
Send a photo of your prescription on WhatsApp. We will identify the exact study, confirm whether contrast and fasting apply, and send back a single all-inclusive number that covers the scan, contrast if needed, films, CD and the radiologist's report — before you travel anywhere.
Where the money in an MRI quote actually goes
Original research
Breaking a typical MRI price into components explains almost all of the variation you will encounter in Dehradun. Scanner time and field strength account for roughly half; the radiologist's reporting fee is the next largest block; contrast, when used, is a genuine weight-based consumable; films, CD and administration are the remainder. {{VERIFY}}
This is why a quote that undercuts the market by a wide margin is worth interrogating rather than celebrating. A price cannot fall below the sum of its inputs unless one input has been removed — a lower field strength, a reduced sequence protocol, an outsourced overnight report, or an unbundled film and CD charge waiting at the counter.
Method: indicative cost composition for a single-region MRI. Proportions vary with utilisation, equipment age and staffing model.
Which parts of Dehradun we cover
We serve the whole of Dehradun district, with complimentary pick-up and drop inside city limits. Patients travelling from Rishikesh, Haridwar, Mussoorie and Vikasnagar should mention their location when booking so we can confirm what transport is possible.
- Rajpur Road
- Dalanwala
- Clement Town
- Prem Nagar
- Vasant Vihar
- Jakhan
- Sahastradhara Road
- Race Course
- Patel Nagar
- GMS Road
- Ballupur
- Kaulagarh
- Doiwala
- Selaqui
- ISBT Dehradun
- Mussoorie
- Rishikesh
- Haridwar
- Vikasnagar
Common reference points patients use when giving directions: Clock Tower, Doon Hospital, the ISBT, Graphic Era, Max Super Speciality Hospital and Pacific Mall. If you are coming from Mussoorie, allow extra time on Rajpur Road in the afternoon.
Recommended spoke pages
Build-order recommendation from competitor internal-link anchors. Not yet written.
- CT Scan Cost in Dehradun —
/ct-scan-cost-dehradun/ - PET-CT Cost in Dehradun —
/pet-ct-cost-dehradun/ - MRI Cost Without Insurance —
/mri-cost-without-insurance-dehradun/ - CGHS Empanelled Imaging in Dehradun —
/cghs-imaging-dehradun/
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Frequently asked questions
What is the cost of an MRI scan in Dehradun?
A single-region plain MRI on 1.5T typically costs ₹4,000 to ₹6,500. Contrast studies run ₹7,000 to ₹10,500, whole spine ₹8,500 to ₹13,000, prostate mpMRI on 3T ₹9,000 to ₹14,000, and whole body MRI ₹18,000 to ₹28,000. Field strength, contrast, number of regions and who reports it are the four variables that move these numbers.
Why is 3T more expensive than 1.5T?
Higher purchase cost, more helium, more power, heavier RF shielding and a more expensive service contract — all recovered per scan. It is worth paying for when your clinical question needs the extra resolution, and not otherwise. Ask why it is being recommended for you specifically.
Is MRI covered by health insurance?
Usually only as part of an admitted hospitalisation or claimable day-care procedure. Purely outpatient diagnostic MRI is excluded from most standard indemnity policies, though some include a health check-up benefit or OPD rider. Get pre-authorisation before the scan if you intend to claim, and keep the prescription, bill, report and films.
Why do prices differ so much between centres?
Four reasons: field strength, whether contrast is inside the quote, how many regions are covered, and whether reporting is in-house or outsourced overnight. A quote well below the market is usually excluding one of these. Ask which.
Does the price include the report and films?
With us, yes — the quoted figure covers the scan, contrast if it turns out to be needed, printed films, a CD and the radiologist's report. Elsewhere, ask explicitly, because those four are the line items most commonly added at the counter.
Can I pay in instalments or by card?
Card, UPI and cash are accepted. For higher-value studies such as PET-CT or whole body MRI, speak to our coordinators about available payment options when you book.
Are there concessions for senior citizens?
Ask when you book. Concessions are considered for senior citizens, for patients undergoing ongoing cancer surveillance requiring repeated imaging, and under specific corporate and institutional tie-ups.
Is a cheaper scan a worse scan?
Not necessarily — but a dramatically cheaper one usually differs in a way that matters. Lower field strength, a reduced sequence protocol, unbundled extras or outsourced reporting are the usual explanations. Ask which applies, then decide. A technically inadequate scan that has to be repeated costs far more than the saving.
