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How new imaging tech will change disease diagnosis

 Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki is shown the site for construction of a CT Scan wing at the Thika Level 5 Hospital by the contractor Richard Ngatia (R)

Ernest Wandera is looking forward to a new imaging equipment that will change how things work at the Kakamega Level 5 Hospital.

The radiologist is ecstatic that the new machine, with a capability to pick out several ailments, is a godsend to his patients.

The 64-slice equipment scheduled to be installed next month as part of a national medical diagnostics programme would ensure he would never have to refer his patients to Kisumu or Eldoret.

“It is just like different smartphones having varying features even though at the very basic definition, they are both phones,” says Mr Wandera, who sees an average 15 patients a day.

Higher speeds

He is among the 800 public sector radiology technologists selected for training in a Kenya-China medical equipment partnership.

Apart from the higher speeds and bigger coverage while imaging, another significant addition is the contrast agency pump which can push dyes into the patient’s blood vessels.

Previous technology meant the radiologist would push the dye through a needle, which Wandera says is often erratic.

“More slices means the machine can cover a larger area with each rotation, while the pump makes it very easy for the diagnosis,” he says.

Imaging of moving body parts such as the heart require machines with higher capacity to capture the picture at once.

Neusoft Medical Systems, a Chinese medical equipment manufacturer, is the supplier of the imaging machines in a government-to-government agreement.

The contractor is expected to construct the housing for the machinery complete with a standby generator and uninterrupted power supply unit.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) equipment that have been installed over the past four years are used to scan through flesh, and widely used to detect tumors.

Iten Hospital in Elgeyo Marakwet and JM Kariuki Memorial Hospital in Nyandarua are among the 37 facilities that have been selected for installation.

Others include health facilities in Voi, Narok, Meru, Thika and Kericho – which are all expected to have diagnostic facilities equal to Kenyatta National Hospital.

Patients are expected to undergo medical imaging and have the pictures interpreted by radiology specialists at any hospital in real time, owing to inter-connectivity with a central point at KNH. A second opinion on the diagnosis can also be sought from the scans taken at any of the county facilities while the pictures can also be used for teaching.

Next in line

Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki says the installation for all the machines will be completed by end of July at a cost of Sh8 billion.

“We have word from the contractor that each of the machines will be installed within six weeks but if they can work day and night, it would be even better,” the CS said after commissioning the first installation at Thika Level 5 Hospital. Kajiado County Hospital is the next in line.

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