New Oamaru Hospital CT Scanner MEDIA RELEASE 18 MARCH 2008
New Oamaru Hospital CT Scanner MEDIA RELEASE – 18 MARCH 2008
BOARD DELIGHTED SAYS CHAIRMAN
WDHSL Board Chairman George Berry has confirmed that the new CT Scanner at Oamaru Hospital is now fully operational and that Waitaki District patients are now having conditions diagnosed sooner and treatment started more promptly. “Our Board is delighted to have been able to provide high quality modern soft tissue imaging equipment at Oamaru Hospital” he said. “It is an essential tool for diagnosis and treatment in 21st century medicine and we have been able to provide it for our community, it is also the most modern scanner of its type in New Zealand at this time”.
Hospital manager Robert Gonzales said that the installation of the Siemens 16 Slice CT Scanner machine is the company’s most exciting achievement since the hospital’s opening in year 2000. Staff are “over the moon” using the equipment, which also includes new X-ray and Ultrasound equipment, and with the improved service the hospital is now able to offer.
“Our patients no longer have to travel out of town nor sometimes wait as much as 52 weeks for scans. Clinicians find it is a good tool for definitive and timelier diagnosis. This reduces the anxiety caused by waiting and enables us to provide treatment more quickly,” he said.
The images are sent electronically to Otago Radiology where they are read and Oamaru normally receives reports back within 24 hours.
“Overall, there has been a massive improvement in reporting turn-around time from up to three weeks to an average of .9 of a day which is better for patients and staff. Some reports arrive within an hour of a procedure’s completion because the new equipment is able to make available the dictated reports electronically which has sped up the reporting process significantly.”
The scanner was commissioned in the last week of February and scanned 25 patients in that time. One of the hospital’s radiographers had 10 years previous experience with CT scanners and he and two other radiographers have been given full operational training from Siemens in conjunction with the machine’s commissioning.
The scanner is used for patients referred from the Oamaru Hospital’s in-patient ward and emergency department as well as for ACC cases and is available for private referrals from GPs and specialists.
“The public are able to use the scanner on a private basis if they have a doctor’s referral which means local patients won’t have to travel out of town, and other out of town patients can be referred from anywhere else to Oamaru for scans.”
“Most importantly WDHSL now has the capacity to help reduce the very long waiting lists existing in the region” Mr Gonzales said.
The scanner and upgrading of the radiology department cost $1.8m which was funded by the Waitaki District Health Services Trust. The Trust was established with funds given to the old Oamaru Hospital and has been built up by donations from groups and individuals over the 10 years WDHS has been operating. There have been some very generous donations made to the Trust over the last year.
“The scanner and new radiology equipment is a wonderful asset for the hospital and the community. I am very grateful that the Board is committed to increasing services in this way and it is very pleasing to see the successful completion of the scanner project which was begun last July” Mr Gonzales said.
The Siemens brand scanner was chosen because of its reputation for reliability and excellent support. It comes with a one year warranty and further five-year full servicing contract.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT
ROBERT GONZALES
MANAGER – OAMARU HOSPITAL
Ph(03) 433 0290
Fax(03) 433 0280
Mob027 240 2711