Gulu Regional Referral Hospital in Uganda has recently begun operating a computerized tomography (CT) scan, which had remained idle for eight months due to a lack of a specialist radiologist. The machine was delivered by the Health Ministry in November of the previous year.
The hospital launched the operation of the CT scan a week ago after partnering with Gulu University to source a radiologist. One successful medical examination has been conducted using the CT scan since its operation began.
The hospital administration encourages the public to embrace the CT scan services, which are now available at a low cost. The charges for investigations are 120,000 Shillings for a non-contrast examination and 15,000 Shillings for a contrast examination.
The availability of the CT scan services at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital will benefit not only the Acholi Sub-region but also other parts of Northern Uganda.
Dr. Peter Mukobo, the Director of Gulu Regional Referral Hospital, highlights that the CT scan services are offered to both inpatients and outpatients. Requests for examinations must come from health officers ranked as medical officers or higher and require approval from a radiologist to ensure appropriate and necessary use of the CT scan.
The launch of CT scan operations at the hospital is considered a significant milestone in enhancing medical services.
To address the limited number of radiologists at regional referral hospitals, the Ministry of Health plans to establish a teleradiology center at Mulago National Referral Hospital. This center will assist in transmitting digital radiological images obtained from CT scan machines at various regional hospitals to radiologists at Mulago for interpretation.
The initiative aims to improve access to quality healthcare services in upcountry hospitals by allowing radiographers to operate the CT scans at regional hospitals and send the images to the teleradiology center for interpretation.
In the past, patients in need of specialized internal body scans had to incur significant expenses by traveling to private hospitals in the central region of Uganda. The delivery of CT scans to 14 regional referral hospitals across the country is intended to alleviate this issue and provide easier access to quality healthcare services.
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