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Patients seeking diagnosis and treatment of cancer at Kenyatta University Teaching Research and Referral Hospital (KUTRRH) got a reprieve after the institution acquired a modern ultrasound machine with a capacity to give two-dimensional imaging.

The Sh7 million equipment donated by AstraZeneca was received by the hospital chief executive Ahmed Dagane who described the development as a landmark as it will help drastically reduce the time taken to diagnose and treat patients.

Dagane termed the introduction of the machine as a significant milestone for the hospital which handles 40 to 50 patients at the radiology department every week, a number that continues to rise. He said the additional ultrasound equipment will take care of 20 patients daily which could have taken a week or two previously.

The CEO revealed that the facility has a budget to secure more specialised medical equipment as it seeks to become a specialty hospital for both local and regional patients, more so in the field of oncology.

Medical attention

He maintained that no patient will henceforth require to travel abroad for medical attention saying KUTRRH, a premier centre, will be fully equipped to handle all manner of special care for patients.

“We do have a budget that the government provides and we will continue to buy more equipment and increase the number of machines we have,

“The support from our partners Astra Zeneca with this machine will help us to serve more patients per day without having to book them for long periods. Ultimately, this will aid in early diagnosis of cancer cases and improve the turnaround time of treatment, “ stated the CEO.

Dr John Omito, a consultant urologist at the hospital, said the new machine is different from others because it gives two-dimensional images.

“With prostate cancer increasingly becoming a high burden disease in the country, the new machine will enable adequate and efficient diagnosis for patients,” Omito noted.

He added that the advanced equipment will cut waiting time for cancer patients and enable efficient delivery of services.

“This machine will enable accurate and efficient diagnosis for patients. It will also cut waiting time for patients who are forced to queue to receive certain types of diagnosis,” Dr Omito added.