:- A LEADING TECHNOLOGY SYSTEM IN MEDICAL IMAGING DIAGNOSTICS.

GE healthcare, the US$17 billion healthcare business of General Electric Company (GE) has installed a highend GE light speed VCT (Volume Computed Tomography) system, at the Akai house Clinic located in Accra. This leading technology provides highly detailed three-dimensional views of the heart and coronary arteries, helping doctors to reach quick and accurate diagnoses without the need for invasive diagnostic procedures.

Light Speed VCT, the worlds first volume CT system is able to no invasively scan the whole body in fewer than 10 seconds and capture images of the heart and coronary arteries in fewer than five heart beats—something no other 64-slice CT system can offer.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the number one cause of mortality with wide care gaps across geographies and huge cost on society. The management of arrhythmias, an important component of cardio – vascular disease presents many challenges around access, cost effectiveness, and innovation in order to address the needs completely.

In Ghana, there has been dramatic rise in the incidence of risk factors leading to CVD’s such as hypertension,(27.8%), diabetes (6.4%) and obesity, high cholesterol, etc. Over 70% of adults’ deaths are due to CVD’s and cancers. In Accra, 1953, heart diseases and strokes were the 10th cause of deaths. In 2001, heart disease and stroke were the leading cause of death.

GE Healthcare’s vision is to inspire solutions for earlier diagnosis, earlier information and earlier treatment to aid clinicians to close these gaps in health access. GE Health care’s approach aims at increasing access to timely treatment for all patients while improving clinical outcomes cost effectively. With this vision, GE Healthcare is providing integrated solutions to enable clinicians and healthcare providers to offer optimal treatment to the patients. Investment in innovative solutions is an internal part of the foundation of GE’s “healthymagination” initiative, which is built on the global commitments of reducing cost, improving quality and expanding access for millions of people. “The installation of this technology is a big step for clinicians at Akai house clinic as we have upgraded ourselves from a dual slice CT to a 64 slice CT. As such, we are investing a lot of time in ensuring that clinicians are well trained to use the technology to its full capacity and in turn allow for earlier, more accurate patients diagnoses. Now with this system we are pleased to have a whole body scan in seconds’ said Dr. Adrian Oddye, the medical director of Akai House Clinic.