Gauteng Province is set to become the most advanced user of a locally-produced world class scanner that does a full body x-ray, based on technology that emerged from the mining industry. This was said today by Minister of Economic Development, Ebrahim Patel, at the Africa Health Exhibition at Gallagher Estate in Midrand.
He announced that Gauteng has placed an order for 12 Lodox scanners.
"This technology is home-grown and is creating economic value in South Africa. It has been funded by the state-owned Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) as part of its mandate to drive localisation and industrial development. There are currently 43 health facilities across the world that is using this South African system. It shows how a scanner originally designed to check whether workers had hidden diamonds on their bodies has now been developed to support medical applications for both trauma care and forensic pathology investigations," Minister Patel said.
"The technology is unique as a full body, ultra-fast and extremely low dose x-ray imaging system. It could assist government with achieving its National Health Insurance (NHI) objectives," he said.
The technology will assist in saving lives by providing x-ray images in the trauma sections of hospitals, which will give doctors real-time images on which medical decisions can be made immediately.
The company producing the scanners has calculated that the use of the technology will produce significant savings over the life of the machine, because of lower installation and operating costs. With an adequate trauma load, each scanner will save on average R8m over the first five years of the system.
There are currently 30 trauma centres and 13 forensic pathology institutions that uses system.15 of the systems are installed in South Africa where it is estimated that on average every hear 13 000 trauma patients’ lives are cared for and in many cases saved and 3 000 forensic cases are expedited and solved more easily.
The Lodox technology was catapulted into international prominence in 2013 when it was strongly featured on the hit medical series, Grey’s Anatomy. The series has a viewership of 22 million in the United States alone and has showcased the South African technology.
In an effort to ensure greater acceptance and wider implementation of this unique technology within South Africa, the Gauteng Department of Health was the first province approached in 2013 to discuss a targeted provincial rollout of the Lodox technology.
The scope of the project discussed included potential installations at all Central, Tertiary and Regional hospitals, as well as key strategic forensic pathology institutes. Once the target facilities were identified, a programme to ensure buy-in at all levels of the institutions was undertaken. Doctors and hospital administrators were very enthusiastic when the potential of the system was demonstrated.
The Gauteng Department of Health's 12 Lodox scanners will be installed in the 2014/15 financial year. A phased approach will ensure that roughly 1 scanner per month will be installed at the following institutions:
1. Pretoria Forensic Pathology
2. Johannesburg Forensic Pathology
3. New Natalspruit Hospital
4. Dr George Mukhari Hospital
5. Steve Biko Hospital
6. Tembisa Hospital
7. Helen Joseph Hospital
8. Tambo Memorial hospital
9. Sebokeng Hospital
10. Kalafong Hospital
11. Leratong Hospital
12. Ga-Rankuwa Forensic Pathology
A pilot project at three additional hospitals is already in place with the Lodox scanner, at:
- Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital
- Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital
- Berta Gxowa Hospital in Germiston.
The installations of these 3 forensic systems within Gauteng will more than double the forensic cases expedited by Lodox technology in South Africa per year. The 9 hospital installations (together with the currently existing 3 hospitals) will create a “flagship”trauma province that will allow a comprehensive coverage of trauma treatment using world-class technology.
For more information:
Mahomed Vawda
Cell: 079 710 4636
Thembinkosi Gamlashe
Cell: 082 868 3565
