Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony yesterday inaugurated a state-of-the-art $49 million digital X-ray Machine at Mahaicony Cottage Hospital in Region Five.
This is part of the Ministry’s initiative to replace all analogue X-ray machines with cutting-edge digital devices aimed at enhancing service delivery.
In his feature address, Anthony said that the rehabilitation of the X-ray room totalled some $30m, while the machine itself cost $49m, a release from the Ministry of Health said.
He further emphasised the benefits of the newly added equipment.
“With the type of equipment we now have, you’ll take the image and it would be stored digitally but if you need it to be enhanced, we can also enhance it with the equipment that you have. The other advantage is that the exposure of patients to radiation is far less, and the other great advantage is that we’re able to then send these images if needed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where you could have a second opinion by a radiologist”, he explained.
Anthony announced that all analogue machines across Guyana will be replaced by mid-year, with Fort Wellington Hospital set to receive theirs soon.
“In 2020, we had these twenty-three analogue systems, by mid of this year all twenty-three would have been changed to digital X-rays. We’ve already bought most of these X-ray machines, and it’s now retrofitting some of the spaces so that we can put them in place,” Anthony stated.
Meanwhile, Dr Theresa Sarju, Regional Health Officer (RHO) said that the new machine will contribute to the region’s diagnostic capabilities, patient care improvement, and overall healthcare responsiveness.
