Mulago launches a Sh2bn CT-SCAN
The services are highly subsides, in the private practice the CT-SCAN examination is at Sh200,000 and at the general ward it would cost Sh120,000.
By Violet Nabatanzi
Mulago National referral hospital has launched a CT-Scanner (MX 16) worth Sh2bn. The new equipment has improved the efficiency and expanded the diagnostic capacity of the Radiology department.
Speaking during the launch of the new machine at Mulago hospital, the clinical head, diagnostics Dr. Rosemary Byanyima said the equipment can work on 40 patients per day compared to the old one which used to diagnose only 10 patients. The equipment was procured by the Ugandan government and will do a lot of investigations for the Brain, chest, abdomen, and even vessels like patients who have had a stalk.
The CT-Scan is an advanced x-ray machine which takes images of entire body for making diagnosis for patients to be treated. A CT scan provides a better picture of thicker tissue inside the human body. It can also show cranial injuries.
“In most cases the clinicians have to examine the patients and determine whether the patients do require a CT-Scan so they write a request form which is brought to us in Radiology department, and we determine which kind of investigate we can do to the patient, sometimes we need to inject a patient with a drug as we carry out investigations and then we write a report of the images,|” Byanyima said.
Each patient will be required to pay Sh120, 000 for the service but even patients who cannot afford the cost will get the service at no cost.
The services are highly subsides, in the private practice the CT-SCAN examination is at Sh200,000 and at the general ward it would cost Sh120,000. The funds would be used to help in the running of the unit in buying consumables like x-rays and the drug among other things.
The hospital’s Executive Director Dr. Baterana Byarugaba appealed to health workers to always accept further trainings whenever they are called upon.
Byarugaba observed that “Of recent we have called upon health experts to go for trainings and many of them have hesitated, when you go for further training it is for your common good but also for good of the Country, we don’t want this to happen again, we call upon you to go out and have three months training but somebody starts asking for allowances and yet they are getting salaries,”