Hospital launches scanner

National

Papua New Guinea’s first MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scanner in public health  was launched yesterday at the Port Moresby General Hospital thanks to the National Fisheries Authority (NFA).
The K4.5m MRI GE 1.5 Tesla Scanner was funded by the NFA as part of its community project.
The hospital’s chief radiologist Dora Lenturut-Katal thanked NFA, the hospital management, Health Department and the Imaging Institute of Delhi, India, that sent two MRI experts to train hospital staff on how to use the scanner.
“We started training staff and testing the MRI scanner in January and have seen 51 subjects (patients) so far,” she said.
Lenturut-Katal said that the scanner was god-sent for the people of PNG,  a significant advancement in healthcare.
“Tumours, for example, can be detected at an early stage and treated, countless life can be saved,” she said.
Lenturut-Katal said hospital was a level seven one and a referral hospital and the MRI would be a big help.
“Previously, we had no MRI scanner in the public health sector that forced many Papua New Guineans to seek treatment overseas and more recently in private hospitals like the Port Moresby International Hospital which was expensive for many Papua New Guineans.”
Lenturut-Katal said the scanner was available to the public from yesterday.
“There are two forms of public health policy, one is the free healthcare and the other is the subsidised healthcare so the MRI scanner comes under the subsidised healthcare,” she said.