St. Francis Naggalama hospital management is to set up a high resolution 128 slices Computerized Tomography (CT) scan machine. The hospital signed an agreement with Joint Medical Stores-JMS to establish the machine at 2.7 billion Shillings and it is expected to be open to the community in November.
The equipment is expected to ease the diagnosis of illnesses such as muscle and bone disorders; tumors and fractures.
The absence of the machine has been straining patients, whose main point of referral is St. Francis Hospital.
According to the Hospital Administrator, Sister Jane Frances Nakafeero, many patients in need of CT scans are always referred to Kampala. Nakafeero says that in the last financial year, out of the 53, 453 patients that visited the outpatient department, 354 were referred for scan services.
Nakafeero reveals that according to the feasibility study conducted by the facility two years back, no hospital within the Greater Mukono district runs a CT scan despite the area receiving a high number of accidents.
Dr. Kenneth Rubongo, the Director of Biomedical Engineering at JMS says the procured CT scan technology at Naggalama enables three-dimensional 3D pictures to be taken from Naggalama and interpreted by radiologists who are in Kampala within five minutes.
He notes that the scan will provide a timely diagnosis for a catchment population of over 300,000 Ugandans within the five districts. Currently, JMS is conducting negotiations with Kampala Imaging Center for the partnership to have radiologist specialists do the image
interpretation.
The LCI Chairperson of Naggalama Professional’s Village, Frank Ssempebwa is grateful for the initiative saying it will save low-income earners access to treatment. URN
