RESIDENTS living in Region Two and some parts of Region Three now stand to benefit from the new multimillion-dollar digital x-ray machine at the Suddie Public Hospital.
The machine, which was commissioned on Friday, will significantly reduce patient transfers, improve emergency care and contribute to faster diagnoses.

In his address during a simple commissioning ceremony, Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, said that the images taken from the machine could be stored on a hard drive and retrieved later. The electronic format of the x-ray images taken by the machine allows the files to be shared with radiologists for further analysis.

Minister Anthony said the digital x-ray machine costs $35 million and additional funds were expended to rehabilitate the x-ray machine room and conduct electrical works.
“It’s a very good project; all the images doctors will have access to, and this is a step-up in the health sector; it’s very clean and updated and much better,” Dr. Anthony said.
He added that the images could be transferred easily and even sent on a phone so that doctors could have immediate access. He said it is a good step for the hospital and the health care system.

The digital services will be working 24/7 and three persons were trained to use the machine. This initiative is part of a broader project, which would see the replacement of 14 analogue machines countrywide.

Region Two Vice-Chairman, Humace Oodit, said that the installation of the digital x-ray machine is a boost for the region.
Oodit said that it saves time for people who previously had to travel outside of the region for such services.
Regional Health Officer, Dr. Ranjeev Singh, said that patients have already started accessing the services.