Millions spent to equip Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital

6 Mar 2011

Chris Hani Baragwanath has been prioritised for equipment and R157 million is being spent to equip the hospital.

This morning, Gauteng Health and Social Development MEC Ntombi Mekgwe visited the hospital to assess the availability of equipment and hospital readiness for the arrival of the new CT scanners.

The challenges that were around the CT scanners at the hospital will soon be a thing of the past as two multi-detector CT scanners, 128 slice and 64 slice, that were ordered last year from Japan will be arriving tomorrow. Building alterations to accommodate the two scanners commenced on Wednesday, 2 March and they will be completed on Thursday, 10 March. We are anticipating that the machines will be installed by 17 March 2011.

These new scanners will improve the scan environment of both patients and staff as they are:

• Able to scan the entire body in one breath-hold. They are able to capture a beating heart and watch it in real-time. Each examination performed is done in the shortest time possible with the least amount of dose applied to the patient. The images produced are of the highest quality, providing the perfect platform for the highly trained Radiologists, to perform advanced diagnoses.
• Able to see details down to one third of a millimetre (well below one millimetre).
• Body or organs can be virtually sliced or cut in any way as the body is scanned in a 3D volume.
• Can reduce X-ray dose significantly, particularly important in children and young women. To make today's cardiac CT examinations even safer, the radiation dose to the patient will be lowered by up to 75% compared to conventional scanners.
• They are not claustrophobic - wide open ring, not a tunnel.
• The advanced design of the CT scanners allows for patient examinations to be completed very quickly and efficiently, greatly improving the patient put through the X-ray department. Thus more patients will receive the essential services of the CT department.
• The overall patient friendly design of the CT scanners, namely the large gantry opening, wide and comfortable patient couch, together with the short examination times and lose dose scan techniques provide a safe and comfortable scanning environment for the patients.

These new scanners are also amongst other things capable of allowing the operator to monitor the patient's heart rate prior to the actual examination. The cardiac software automatically sets the optimal scan conditions. This assures the best possible image quality for each and every cardiac examination performed. The diagnostic outcome has never been as certain as today, with the new CT scanners.

In addition to the acquisition of these scanners, the supplier, Medi-Four Medical supplies shall embark on a fully comprehensive training program that engages consultants, registrars, interns and radiographers. The training program shall be repeated to cater for the rotational roster of other medical personnel whom are posted at the hospital in the coming weeks. In addition, the company shall train the registrars and consultants in non-invasive Cardiac, Virtual Colonoscopy scans.

Also recently, Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital has received: gastroscope, angiography unit, 3 C arms, mammography unit, 2 bucky Xray units, paediatric cardiology echo unit, 2 anaesthetic machines and neonatal equipment including humidifiers, incubators, ventilators, radiant warmers and vital sign monitors.

Following the tour of the hospital this morning, MEC Mekgwe noted that contrary to the recent media reports, the hospital has adequate supplies of milk for patients.

To ensure the delivery of quality of health care in Gauteng public health facilities, tomorrow, there will be a sod turning at Pholosong Hospital to prepare for the building of a new accident and emergency unit.

Statement issued by Simon Zwane, Gauteng Health and Social Development, March 6 2011

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