Dr Balwant Singh’s Hospital yesterday launched its histopathology laboratory and a 128 Slice CT Scanner which will greatly assist in the detection, diagnosis and treatment of patients while saving precious time.
Both the laboratory and scanner are a first for Guyana with a combined cost of some US$3.5 million. A histopathology laboratory enables a number of services that involve examining tissues and ultimately detecting diseases
Present at the launch were the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Madhu Singh, a Siemens Clinical Product specialist, the hospital’s Internal Medicine Specialist, President Irfaan Ali and other representatives of the government and medical staff.
Singh in her remarks noted that the lab and scanner would provide advanced diagnostic services in health care especially in the fields of cancer and cardiology.
She explained that the reason for the investment in the 128 CT scanner is because medical technology is often a challenge and it is time to bridge the gap between the local health care system and that of the developed world. The scanner’s capabilities, she said, “is beyond anything we had access to before, however, it will enable us to perform advanced cardiac imaging, including those experiencing chest pain, and allowing for accurate and normal ways or methods of diagnosis, for example, in heart disease.” She highlighted the scanner’s importance given the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in the country.
In addition, the scanner will significantly enhance the hospital’s ability to perform vascular assessment, stroke assessments, and trauma assessment. This, she said, will lead to more effective and timely interventions, ultimately reducing the long term attack of life threatening conditions for patients. The scanner can also be used to identify the various stages of cancer.
Singh also pointed out that the technology didn’t exist in Guyana, and that they had to bring foreign experts to conduct the training.
The equipment for the histopathology lab was purchased from Germany and Japan while the CT scanner was manufactured by Siemens, a German company.
