FOCOS Orthopaedic Hospital over the weekend officially commissioned its CT scanner for diagnostic services at their facility in Pantang, Accra.

The equipment which is a 16-slice Phillips Brilliance CT, was donated to the hospital by the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York, USA and offers the general public an opportunity to have scans of their head, abdomen, spine, pelvic and full body. It gives detailed pictures of bones and soft tissues which an ordinary X-ray test cannot show, such as muscles, organs, large blood vessels, the brain and nerves.

“FOCOS Hospital is committed to providing quality orthopaedic healthcare delivery in Africa and the CT scanner and diagnostic services add another feather to our cap,” said Leticia Osei-Poku, Chief Administrative Officer at FOCOS Hospital. She also stressed on the hours of service. “We have professional Radiographers who are available to assist anyone interested in this service from Monday to Friday between 8am and 5pm,” she added.

The Director of Medical Services, Dr. Gerhard Ofori-Amankwah said, “We are grateful to the Hospital for Special Surgery for this donation, patients will no longer have to go outside the hospital for CT scans and this will help Surgeons get more detailed images of bones, spine and joints”.

Patrons can have access to all images in 360° 3D images on CD (Hard copies are optional). The CT scan services will give Surgeons clearer pictures prior to their surgical procedures. Doctors will also find the right place to take tissue samples from patients with this service. The most commonly performed CT scan globally is of the brain - to determine the cause of a stroke, or to assess serious head injuries.

FOCOS Hospital is one of the few specialist orthopaedic hospitals in Africa that specializes in Complex Spine Deformities, Club foot, Joint Replacement and other degenerative spine illnesses. With some of the best medical practitioners in the world, the hospital also runs a Diet and Nutrition, Physiotherapy, Laboratory services as well as a registered Community Pharmacy.

The 50-bed Specialist hospital has been granted full accreditation by the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons (GCPS) and the West Africa College of Surgeons, to run a residency program in Anaesthesia beginning with the 2016/2017 academic year.