The new CT Scanner has arrived at Penticton Regional Hospital (PRH) and will be unveiled in a special ceremony on March 18 at 4:45 p.m.
The South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation completed raising the $1.7 million necessary to replace the aging CT Scanner at PRH.
Campaign Fundraising Chair, Walter Despot said, “the communities all over the region have been incredibly generous. Now it’s time for the patients to finally have access to the newer sophisticated technology”.
In 2010, more than 11,000 diagnostic scans were performed at PRH. This new scanner will serve nearly 90,000 residents from Summerland south to Penticton, Oliver and Osoyoos and over to Keremeos and Princeton.
“I would like to thank everyone who donated to the purchase of this new CT scanner.” said Norman Embree, Interior Health Board Chair. “The great work, collaboration and co-operation by the South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation, the Regional Hospital Board, and Interior Health made this project a reality.”
CT Scanning is critical for diagnostic examinations of the head, neck, chest, abdomen and bones and with staging cancers such as lung, liver, prostate, colon and pancreatic.
The current machine has been a “work horse” doing up to 50 scans per day, seven days per week. However, the time has come to replace it with newer and improved technology, which will deliver a minimum of 40 per cent less radiation and has the capability of doing advanced lung analysis, CT Colonography and CT Angiography instead of an invasive Angiogram. Head scans that currently take five minutes today will take 45 seconds on the new machine and will allow manipulations of images and instantaneously zero in on any area no matter how large or small.
The general public is invited to attend the unveiling ceremony. Speeches begin at 4:45 with tours of the new CT Scan to follow until 6 p.m. The machine will be available for patient use on March 21.
- South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation press release