New technology, old operation

NADIRA GUNATILLEKE

A modern CT Scanner with the latest technology worth Rs.40 million has been installed in the Colombo National Hospital (CNH) two months ago but since then it has been working just as the old CT Scanner due to lack of relevant applications and staff training, Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry spokesman said.

He said Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva has ordered to provide 24 hour service from 4.00 pm on May 11 to meet the demand of the service because the new scanner works as the old scanner without relevant applications.

The old CT Scanner used by the CNH only scanned one piece of the human body and it scanned only 10 to 15 patients per day. The service was available only during working hours (8.00 am to 4.00 pm). Here after the service will be made available 24 hours even after the new system comes into operation.

According to the spokesman the new CT Scanner, Toshiba Activision 16, can scan between 100 and 150 patients per day and it can scan 16 pieces of the human body accurately. There are only two such machines available in Sri Lanka at the moment and one of them is at the CNH.

Toshiba Activision 16 is the latest CT Scanner that has the latest technology.

This facility will be available for the public as soon as the company provides the relevant applications and training which will be done within a few days.