The Computerized Tomography (CT) scan unit of the Eastern Regional Hospital in Koforidua has been shut down for over a year due to damage to an element that generates imagery during its operation.
However, the equipment has not been replaced despite several letters written to the Ghana Health Service, the member of Parliament for New Juaben South, Michael Okyere Baafi, and other stakeholders about the situation.
The absence of functional CT Scan at the Hospital is having serious implications on quality healthcare as clinicians need the CT scan images to inform critical medical intervention to save lives.
Speaking to Journalists at the sidelines of the annual performance review of the hospital and media engagement, the Medical Director of the Eastern Regional Hospital, Dr. Arko Akoto Apaw said, the hospital has no choice but to refer critically ill patients to Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra to perform the CT Scan and return the results to continue treatment.
He said the CT scan at the hospital is the only one serving the entire Eastern Region.
“The CT scan which is broken down over a year ago and it’s broken down because the element that generates the imagery has been consumed but the machine itself is in a good state.
However, the cost of that element is so expensive we must as well get a new CT scan and even possibly upgrade from a sixteen slide CT scan to a thirty-two or sixty-four”.
He said whenever clinicians need a CT scan to make a diagnosis, the hospital ” refer this unstable patient to Accra, have the CT scan done and then they come back, a common one is when somebody has a stroke in the brain it may be that a blood vessel is burst for which bleeding into the brain occurs or a blood vessel in the brain is blocked so for which the brain cells are not getting oxygen.
The presentation of whether it is a hemorrhage which the blocked vessel or the burst vessel, the presentation is essentially the same so you will see the person cannot raise the arm or whatever it is that we see. However the management is directly the opposite so if it is that there is a block of the vessel, we give medicines that will thin out the block however if it is that a vessel is burst and is bleeding we give medicines that will clot the blood”
He stressed that “the only way you can see those two differences is to use the CT scan and so if the CT scan is not available, how are you going to know whether you will give medicines that will thin out the block or you will give medicines that will clot or coagulate the blood and that is how come it is very important. You can also relate that in such patients they are very unstable and to travel to Accra just to have the CT scan and come back is pressing on them and that is how come at all cost we need the support”.
Dr. Akoto Ampaw, therefore, emphasized the urgent need for the CT scan at the hospital hence appealing to NGOs and Philanthropists to come to the aide of the hospital.
“The cost of procuring that is also very high, we appeal to philanthropist and any organization including the government, ministry of health and Ghana health service to come and support us because it is very important in helping pinpoint diagnosis and the management of patients that come to the hospital”.
Source: Mybrytnewsroom.com/Obed Ansah
