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Arua, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Local residents and leaders in West Nile are excited following the delivery of the first Computed Tomography (CT) scan to Arua Regional Referral Hospital by the health ministry.
CT scan is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to get detailed images of the body noninvasively for diagnostic purposes. It’s normally used to identify heart disease or abnormalities, locate injuries, blood clots, and other conditions such as pneumonia.
While receiving the CT scan from the Ministry of Health on Wednesday, Dr. Alex Andema, the Director of Arua Regional Referral Hospital, said in the past they have been referring patients in need of CT scan services to the Mulago specialised hospital in Kampala for diagnosis. According to Dr. Andema, the CT scan will not only help them improve service delivery at the facility but also reduce cost of referrals.
Dr. Paul Onzubo, the District Health Officer for Maracha told Uganda Radio Network that the delivery of the CT scan is long overdue. He says once installed, it will greatly enhance curative services at the regional referral hospital.
The Arua district LC5 chairperson, Alfred Okuonzi is excited that the presence of the machine will save the community the cost of traveling long distances in search of CT scan services. He also cautioned the hospital management to do timely operation and maintenance to avoid breakdown.
Manawun Maurine, a resident of Atyak sub county in Zombo district says that the availability of the machine at Arua Hospital will save them money that they used to access such services in Kampala.
“To take someone for a CT scan in Kampala you need to have more than two million shillings. Now we shall spend less once the scan is installed at the hospital,” she noted.
Meanwhile, Slyvia Ngamita, a resident of Nebbi district has welcomed the development noting that she lost her brother who got a motor accident after they failed to raise funds to go to Kampala for CT scan.
“I lost my brother in 2019 because we could not afford the transport to Kampala for him to be examined using the machine. I am now happy that government has brought this machine near here in Arua,” added Ngamita.
In 2021, the government through the Ministry of Health revealed that they had finalised plans to install CT scan machines in all the 14 regional referral hospitals.
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