Guelph General Hospital unveiled its shiny new CT scanner on Monday and the man in charge of it says the hospital deserves a pat on the back.
"I think we need to stop being so modest," said Dr. Samir Patel, chief of diagnostic imaging at the hospital.
"We have a world class hospital, we have world class radiologists and we have world class equipment for us to use, and we need to be proud of that. We provide cutting edge care to our community," Patel said.
The new CT scanner has technological advancements that result in even better patient care including sharper images to more accurately diagnose and monitor disease as well as lower doses of radiation.
Patel estimated 30 per cent to 50 per cent radiation in most cases, which is particularly important when it comes to patients who are children.
Marianne Walker, GGH president and CEO, said the machine will improve the quality of care, create increased efficiency and will save money.
The previous CT scanner was 13 years old and performed over 300,000 scans. It frequently broke down and need repairs. It will be refurbished and used in a developing country.
A year ago the hospital put a new CT scanner at the top of its wish list.
Patel said the CT scanner is the "workhorse" of the diagnostic imaging department, doing around 1,300 to 1,400 scans per month.
"Some of the sickest patients in the hospital, patients admitted through the emergency department and patients admitted upstairs who have had surgery, come through this scanner," he said.
It is used to help in a wide variety of diagnosis and care, from broken bones to cancer, stroke and other vascular diseases.
"This is where the sickest patients get their imaging done, so it's a very critical piece of equipment within the hospital," Patel said.
The money was raised in a variety of ways, from private donations of up to $90,000 through fundraising events like the Hospital's Fore Our Hospital annual golf tournament and the Tour de Guelph community cycling event.
