Editor, Refer to the story, “City referral hospital on spot over broken CT scan” (The New Times, August 1). The BJA-British Journal of Anesthesia (BJA, Volume 99, Issue 1, Pp. 49-60) states that “CT allows rapid assessment of brain pathology which ensures patients who require urgent surgical intervention receive appropriate care”. It also states that “Although MRI provides greater spatial resolution, particularly within the posterior fossa and deep white matter, a complete assessment of the burden of injury requires imaging of cerebral physiology. Such data can be used to assess the impact of therapeutic interventions. Perfusion imaging based on CT techniques can be implemented easily in most hospital centres, and provide quantitative perfusion data in addition to structural images”. Though I am not a medical expert, at least I am able to read and do research. I disagree with CHUK management when it says that even if they had a functioning scanner, the patient would not have gone through it when conditions do not permit, simply because after we requested our relative to be transferred to King Faisal for CT Scan (none hours later!), only to discover that brain had already been damaged and it was too late to do any surgery since blood had coagulated. Too late! I think we don’t have to always accept mediocrity as President Paul Kagame has repeatedly said. If someone can pay and order that his broken car be fixed the same day, or latest the next day, why should a referral hospital be unable to get their CT scanner fixed in two days or even less? Vivien Munyaburanga, Rwanda
