New scanner set to reduce waiting times

Massey Pofaroa has his knee scanned at Whangarei Hospital with the new GE Revolution CT Scanner. Photo / Supplied

A $2million radiology suite upgrade at Whangarei Hospital will cut waiting times for patients.

The Northland District Health Board recently invested in a new GE Revolution CT Scanner for the hospital and is in the process of upgrading the existing scanner.

It is the first time such a scanner has been used in a New Zealand hospital.

General manager surgical services Andrew Potts said reducing unnecessary wait times for patients was critical to providing a high level of patient care.

"CT scanning is now a standard triage tool for medical staff attending patients in the Emergency Department," Mr Potts said. "For clinicians it is now as vital in terms of patient management as laboratory tests and chest X-rays".

The new scanner would enable clinicians to deliver uncompromised image quality for some of the most challenging situations, he said.

A computed tomography scan, known as a CT scan, used X-rays to make detailed pictures of a body's interior. It was important in the diagnosis of disease, trauma, or abnormality.

Cancellation due to breakdowns and other technical difficulties would be a thing of the past as there would now be a back-up scanner, Mr Potts said.

Another benefit to patients was reduced radiation exposure with the new scanner.

It would also improve faster cancer treatment targets as 21 per cent of all current outpatient referrals were from the oncology service.

It was faster, making it easier to examine a variety of patients.

The radiology suite upgrade cost $2 million, which included the two CT scanners and facilities, Mr Potts said.