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By Edward Akaki – Karamoja
In 2021, the government through the Ministry of Health revealed that they had finalized the planning and funding for the installation of Computed Tomography (CT) Scan machines in all the fourteen regional referral hospitals in the country. The project that was slated for the previous year was postponed due to what the government refers to as “limited funding”.
However, this has lived to pass as the regional hospitals across the country is at a revolution in Diagnostics as new CT scan machines start to arrive in the country. Each Regional Referral Hospital will have a CT scan.
So far, hospitals that have so far received are; Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital, Jinja Regional Referral Hospital, Moroto Regional Referral Hospital, Hoima Regional Referral Hospital, Fort portal Regional Referral Hospital and Mbale Regional Referral Hospital.
Reports obtained from a source at the Ministry says the other hospitals to receive CT SCANNERS between 15th – 16th November, 2022 are; Masaka Regional Referral Hospital, Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, Kabale Regional Referral Hospital, Gulu Regional Referral Hospital, Lira Regional Referral Hospital and Arua Regional Referral Hospital.
In the case of Soroti Regional Referral Hospital, the site is not ready and therefore it will be delivered when the site is completed. This also applies to Mubende Regional Referral Hospital where the site was put on hold due to the Ebola Outbreak.
Before this development, Uganda had only two public health facilities with CT Scan Machines at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala and Aber Health Centre IV in Oyam district.
In Karamoja
At Moroto regional Referral Hospital, while receiving the CT scanner, Dr. Stephen Pande the Director of the hospital appluaded the ministry for their efforts of bringing the services closer to the community.
He said, in recent years the hospital has been referring patients at the Hospital to Mulago National Referral hospital for more detailed scans which was too risky as many lost their lives on the way.
The hospital currently has few radiologists to help kick start the operations, but according to the director there is hopes that some of hospital staffs that have been at school will be completing their course by next year and so it will boost expertise.
Pande concluded that since the hospital has got this very important equipment, they shall adjust the budget to cater to the CT scan servicing to avoid any kinds backlogs due to poor servicing of the machine.
A CT scan also called CAT scan is typically a large, donut-shaped machine with a short tunnel in the center that provides a painless, noninvasive and fast way for doctors to examine bones, organs and other internal tissues.
CT scans are used to identify disease or injury within various regions of the body. The scan is used to detect tumors or lesions within the abdomen, identify heart disease or abnormalities, locate injuries, pulmonary embolisms (blood clots), clots leading to stroke, hemorrhage, excess fluid, and other conditions such as emphysema or pneumonia.
CT scan is also useful when imaging complex bone fractures, severely eroded joints, or bone tumors since it usually produces more detail than would be possible with a conventional x-ray.
