BY OUR REPORTER
Gulu Regional Referral Hospital has started operating a computerized tomography (CT) scan, nearly eight months after its installation at the facility.
The Health Ministry delivered the machine in November last year but has been idle due to a lack of a specialist radiologist to operate it.
A CT scan is used to generate internal body images, including various parts such as bone structure, muscles, fat, organs, and blood vessels.
James Ojwang, the Acting Principal Administrator of Gulu Regional Referral Hospital says the hospital launched the operation of the CT scan a week ago after sourcing a radiologist from Gulu University through a partnership deal.
Ojwang says one patient has so far undergone a successful medical examination using the CT scan last week when they launched its operation.
He however called on the public to embrace the CT scan services which have been brought closer to them at a low cost.
For instance, a patient will pay 120,000 Shillings for a non-contrast investigation and 15,000 Shillings for a contrast investigation.
Ojwang notes that the CT scan will help clients from not only the Acholi Sub-region but also other parts of Northern Uganda who will be in need of the services.
The Gulu Regional Referral Hospital Director Dr. Peter Mukobo notes that CT scan services are being offered for both inpatients and outpatients.
He says examinations for the scan can only be requested by health officers at the rank of a medical officer or beyond and sanctioned by a radiologist to avoid unnecessary and risky requests.
Dr. Mukobi says the launch of the CT scan operation is a significant milestone for the hospital in its quest to enhance medical services.
The Health Ministry Senior Public Relations Officer Emmanuel Ainebyoona last month revealed that the Ministry was establishing a teleradiology center at Mulago National Referral Hospital to assist with the transmission of digital radiological images via CT scan machines.
He notes that the Ministry had received complaints about the limited number of radiologists at the Regional Referral Hospitals where the CT scans were delivered and noted that the facilities would rely on the services of radiologists stationed at Mulago.
Through the initiative, radiographers would operate the CT Scans from the regional hospitals and later transmit the images to the Teleradiology center for interpretation.
The Health Ministry last year delivered CT scans to 14 regional referral hospitals across the country in a move aimed at easing access to quality healthcare services in hospitals upcountry.
The majority of patients in need of specialized internal body scans have been spending huge amounts of money in the past to travel to the better private hospitals in the central part of Uganda to access CT scan services.
