King Faisal Hospital, Kigali has secured a high-tech CT scan that’s able to capture images in less than 10 seconds.

The 128 multi-slice CT scan was unveiled yesterday at the hospital in what the management called a strategic move to solidify the facility’s position as a top healthcare service provider.

The CT scan takes advantage of the latest advances in computed tomographic imaging technology by providing increased speed and improved patient comfort.

The high speed scanner provides healthcare professionals with the ability to see more details in a fraction of the time required by the conventional CT scan.

Besides giving doctors a bigger view of parts of the body with much detail in a very short time and with minimal radiation dose, it also captures images of the blood flow of all organs.

Dr Emmanuel Rudakemwa, the Director of Radiology and Imaging Services at King Faisal Hospital, Kigali, described the CT scan as a "powerful machine that such the referral hospital needed.”

"The CT scan shortens the time a patient has to hold their breath to micro seconds and can scan the whole body in less than 10 seconds. Its high speed will enable us provide quicker services to our clients,” said Dr Rudakemwa.

In case of stroke patients, physicians can use organ imaging to show circulation of blood not only within a small part of the brain like most CT scanners but the entire brain.

The CT scan is adapted to provide three-dimensional images for virtually any patient and any part of the body, including those with cardiac or respiratory conditions, that make it sometimes difficult to get high-quality images with other types of scanners, according to experts.

With the new machine, Rudakemwa said that the quality of the CT scan services at the hospital has experienced up to 100 times value addition.

He, however, noted that the prices of CT scan for patients won’t change since the cost determination is not done by the hospital but by national systems that work on such matters.

The 128 multi-slice CT scan is estimated to cost between $900,000 and $1 million. It is among the first ten to be acquired in the region.

Rudakemwa said that the hospital is now positioned to play a significant role as an attraction for medical tourism in the region.

He also noted that Rwandans will nolonger have to go abroad for scan services.

The management of King Faisal Hospital, Kigali was recently handed over to Oshen Healthcare Limited by the Government of Rwanda. Oshen Healthcare is a global provider of innovative health care solutions and management expertise for medical facilities and health insurances programmes.

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