Accra, Oct. 26, GNA- Health facilities in the country must have access to affordable medical imaging equipment to promote quality healthcare delivery, Mr John Chigbu, Chief Executive Officer, Cassona Ghana has said.
Medical imaging encompasses technologies such as ultrasonography, x-rays, mammography, computed tomography (CT scans), and nuclear medicine.
In an interview, Mr Chigbu said he had realised many private health facilities did not have the resources to purchase and maintain medical imaging equipment because they were expensive.
He said lack of access to such equipment undermined quality healthcare delivery as some diseases would require special diagnoses to aid treatment.
“The challenge facing healthcare facilities is affordability. One of these pieces of equipment coming new could sell for over a million dollars. A lot of facilities don’t have access to that kind of money, and it doesn’t look like the banks we have here locally could afford that kind of loan,” he said.
Mr Chigbu said Cassona Ghana had specialised in the supply and maintenance of medical imaging equipment and had settled in Ghana to help address the problem by supporting health facilities to procure refurbished medical imaging equipment.
“We are in Ghana because we see the need for imaging equipment in Sub-Saharan Africa. We looked around different countries, but we found that Ghana is probably the friendliest place to start a business.
“We want to ensure affordability, access to equipment and ability to give locals credit at a lower interest rate to access medical imaging equipment,” he said.
Mr Chigbu said refurbished medical imaging equipment was efficient, adding that the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) had put strict measures in place to ensure that refurbished medical equipment was safe and effective.
“With the enactment of IEC PAS 63077 ED:2019, a standard that can universally be applied and trusted is now in place. It guides the refurbishment of medical imaging equipment so the products are re-introduced into the market and can function in a manner identical to their original performance,” he said.
According to the World Health Organisation, many low and lower-middle-income countries “cannot afford” imaging equipment, and often there is a shortage of healthcare workers trained to use such equipment.
The Organisation said the use of diagnostic imaging services is essential in confirming, assessing and documenting the course of many diseases and response to treatment.
GNA