Mapulaneng Hospital goes digital with X-rays machines
With these new digital X-rays machines, the doctors can get accurate images, view them immediately and reduce the need for repeats.
The Mpumalanga Department of Health has launched some digital X-Ray machines in Mapulaneng Regional Hospital on Thursday April 11.
The MEC for health, Sasekani Manzini, said the project of using digital X-rays in local hospitals will not only change the lives of the communities, but will also positively impact the quest to attain long and healthy lives for all.
The digital machines capture data during the patients’ examinations and immediately transfer it to a computer where the doctors can view it immediately. Unlike the old machines, the digital X-rays capture clearer and more accurate images, reducing the need for repeats.
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Manzini said currently, 14 hospitals in the province use these kinds of X-rays. Carolina and Bernice Samuels hospitals will be digitalised during the 2024/25 financial year. She said their enthusiasm for this project came from their commitment to deliver quality healthcare services.
“As a department, we took a decision to digitalise X-ray machines in all the hospitals in the province. This is a very expensive undertaking that we made as a department, hence the decision to implement this project in a phase-in approach over a period of time. Replacing analogue X-rays with digital X-rays aligns with our effort to have high-tech diagnostic equipment in the hospitals, because specialised services should be accessible to everyone, including rural communities,” said Manzini.
Two fixed and two mobile digital X-rays were launched. “The mobile machine are vital for patients who are too ill to be wheeled in. They will have theirs taken at their bedsides. A total of 27 viewing points have been installed in all the wards, including OPD, casualty, dental and the Allied Health Unit.
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“Each ward has a viewing point where the doctors are able to view the images. This has also reduced challenges of storage of X-ray films for patients. The images are no longer processed in the dark room, thus saving time and required staff serving as dark room attendants. There is easy access to the patients’ records, which can be viewed even during follow-up consultations. Digitalisation has reduced the patients’ waiting time, and another benefit is that there is no longer a need to buy chemicals for the processing of films.”
Manzini said this launch sees all three regional and two tertiary hospitals in the province being digitalised.
“Mapulaneng is one of the referral hospitals in the province, and having digital machines will greatly reduce the turnaround time for X-rays, early diagnosis and treatment. It serves as referral hospital for Tintswalo, Matibidi and Matikwane hospitals and eight surrounding PHC facilities,” she said.
