Newly commissioned TB digital scanning machine malfunctions

The woes of TB patients in Kamuli General Hospital are not yet over, after the new digital TB scanning machine, which the minister commissioned recently, developed a technical glitch before a single scan.

The mishap forced the administration to pin a memo on the noticeboard, informing the clients to wait a little longer.

Commissioned by the Minister for General Duties, Robinah Nabbanja on May 20, 2020, the machine is among the five which the government procured recently, to address the challenge of scanning and diagnosing TB cases in Busoga sub-region. 

Dated May 28, 2020, the memo reads, "To the community in Kamuli, We received a Digital X-ray machine system which will help us improve TB scanning. We regret to inform you that the machine has a technical problem. We shall inform you once the problem has been rectified. Management."

Speaking to The New Vision on Tuesday, the Hospital Administrator, Dr. Zaidi Atuma, said since inception, the machine has never taken a single shot.

He said among the technicalities include the missing connector and the data information storage, with needs funds to purchase.

"The connector is missing. You know it inter connects four other machines which were procured, and the connection process is on-going. Another missing component is the data storage and interpretation chip which we also need to purchase," Dr. Atuma said.

She added that the data component is vital, Dr. Atuma said all the captured images are meant to be saved and later tailed on the mother computer at the Ministry.

He added that Rhites EC, an implementing Partner (IP/NGO) has offered to data storage and if need be, the procurement of other missing components.

"The technicality is critical, but we hope the machine shall be operating in the course of next week," Dr. Atuma said, adding that after this, they will be planning the machine's sustainability.

 The machine operator, Faruk Sajjabbi, decried the way the machine let them down, as TB clients started trickling into the hospital after the news went round that the facility had gotten the machine.

Dr. Atuma appealed to the public to be calm, adding that the problem shall be rectified soon.

 The District Health Officer, Dr.  Aggrey Batesaaki, said that the machine which scans and analyses results promptly is expected to serve not only Kamuli, but also the 10 districts in Busoga sub-region and Eastern region.

Being portable, Dr. Batesaaki said the machine can be taken to schools, refugee camps, market places, institutions, landing sites etc, to save people from trekking to Mulago in Kampala.

Besides scanning TB, the machine was also meant to scan chest/spinal complications and dislocations.  

The machine came 20 years after the defunct X-ray, which was donated under the Spanish Loan, crashed after the batteries expired and it shut down.