January 10, 2024, will go down in history as a memorable day for the management and staff of the St. Dominic Catholic Hospital in Akwatia.
Long before the event to inaugurate the first MRI Scanner in the Eastern Region at the hospital’s Radiology Block, the St. Dominic Hosptital Choir, clad it their ceremonial wear, started singing melodious tunes to welcome guests who had come from near and far.
The device has been provided by EASE Ghana, an organisation which provides access to high-quality equipment to businesses and institutions on a seven-year pay-per-use contract.
Per the terms of the contract, cash generated by the commercial use of the device will be used to pay EASE Ghana.
The inauguration also marked the debut of Siemens Magnetom Free.Star Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner technology in Ghana. The MRI scanner uses Siemens’ latest low-helium scanner technology, enabling greater energy savings while maintaining high-quality imaging.
From the speeches of the Catholic Bishop of the Koforidua Diocese, Most Rev. Joseph Afrifah-Agyekum who was the guest of honour and other dignitaries, it was obvious that the device would save countless lives in the region.
All these years, patients who needed further diagnosis on an MRI Scanner in the region, had to travel long distances such as Accra, Kumasi and Tema.
The Vice President, EASE Healthcare and Managing Director, EASE Ghana Dr. Kanyinsola Oyeyinka said she was excited about the milestone which will bring significant impact and benefit to patients at St. Dominic Catholic Hospital, the surrounding communities and the people of the Eastern Region.
“Equipment-as-a-service allows healthcare facilities to procure high-value equipment that was previously inaccessible to them, thereby increasing the quality of care that can be delivered to their patients.
“As a physician myself, I can relate to some of the challenges faced by the team at St Dominic Catholic Hospital when required infrastructure to offer the best care to patients is not available and so I am very proud that EASE has been able to support them to ensure MRI access for its patients and proud to offer EASE’s equipment as a service for healthcare providers in Ghana.”
The Hospital Manager and Administrator, Rev. Fr. Ebenezer Kenneth Abban in his speech said the management of the hospital was pleased, and fulfilled to launch and inaugurate MRI services to fully complement the Radiology Department.
He recounted how the space previously used for medical laboratory was redesigned and converted into a working Radiology Department with a digital x-ray machine, ultrasound and a brand-new CT Scanner, thanks to the Catholic Diocese of Koforidua under the stewardship of Most Rev. Joseph Afrifah-Agyekum.
“It therefore came not as a surprise to us when our alluring determination and alacrity yielded a beautiful collaboration with EASE Ghana, resulting in what we are witnessing today. Here, I wish to put on record that, although it has not been an easy journey, we are very excited and the feeling of accomplishment is huge because we know that, our cherished and revered patient is the major beneficiary.”
Rev. Fr. Abban said, regardless of a number of successful interventions in the space of medical diagnostic technology the hospital has initiated, they were more resolved to keep expanding the scope of diagnostic services knowing very well that the future generation of healthcare services is diagnostic oriented.
“It remains one singular objective of the Hospital Management Team to keep striving to make available for use even more of such top-notch tools to enhance quality healthcare services delivery right at the doorsteps of our teaming clients.
“The world has turned a complex place and medical technology keeps advancing in exponential proportion; the health service delivery industry is not an exception. Medical advances are intelligently utilizing this paradigm shift to resolving many health problems which hitherto had gone unknown or unnoticed to clinicians,” he added.
