Accra, Sept. 14, GNA - The 37 Military Hospital on Monday introduced a diagnostic imaging machine to speed up medical analysis. Defence Minister, Lt Gen Joseph Smith who inspected the machine after its installation, said it would help the hospital to deliver proper medical care to patients.

Gen. Smith said many patients yearned to access health care at the 37 Military Hospital and expressed the hope that their quest for efficient medical care would be met. The machine, which is called Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), reconstructs the body by capturing images of every body part including the minutest organs.

Gen. Smith said the machine, which would begin to be used on Monday, would be fully opened for public use on Thursday. Lt. Col. (Dr) Andrew Kaminta, Head of the Radiology Department of the 37 Military Hospital, said the MRI machine was important for diagnosing sport injuries.

"With the introduction of the MRI all theatre cases will be properly investigated with better accuracy," he said. Lt Col Kaminta said in the past, doctors at the Hospital groped in darkness in handling cases of surgery because of the difficulty of knowing every aspect.

He said Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital was the first to introduce this machine but it broke down.

"Those who travel abroad to access this service could do so in Ghana at a moderate cost," he said, and noted that the hospital would charge GH¢500.00 for one image. Lt. Col. Kamanta said accessing the service of the facility was covered under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHRS). Lt. Col. Kamanta said the result of the MRI was normally captured on films or on CDs with about 30 slides on one image. 14 Sept 09