Hospital begins upgrade to state of art MRI services

| 10/07/2012

E--img-MRI-tech-3-Tesla.jpg(CNS): The George Town hospital is set to dramatically increase its diagnostic capability for  determining the severity of injuries or causes of illnesses. As a result of a public private partnership the hospital’s MRI services have been temporarily upgraded with the installation of a 1.5 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). This is only the first step however, of a two-step process that will place a 3.0 Tesla MRI at the Hospital within one year. The introduction of the technology by the HSA partner 3T Cayman, which successfully responded to tender, is a huge enhancement for the provision of local health care and allow the hospital to provide medical services unavailable elsewhere in the region.

Hospital CEO Lizzette Yearwood said the temporary MRI machine was an important addition to the services at the Cayman Islands Hospital. “The temporary 1.5 Tesla is located on the HSA compound in self-contained housing equipment developed especially for the MRI scanner,” she explained.

“The leap from a .03 to a 1.5 is a huge one for the provision of healthcare for Cayman’s residents. The immediate benefit is that residents who need MRI scans at higher resolution can now remain on island to have their procedures completed, thereby reducing the need for inconvenient travel, as well as the high costs,” Yearwood added.

By the end of the year 3T Cayman and the HSA will move forward further in its aims to provide high quality scanning facilities for its patients, with the installation of an even higher powered 3 tesla MRI scanner.

“The 3-tesla machine possesses a high field strength MRI that can show structures that have not ever been seen before,” said Dr Yaron Rado, spokesperson for 3T Cayman “With this machine blood vessel as small as 200 to 300 microns can be seen; this is an important benefit to doctors…Radiologists who have been testing the high field strength MRI in clinical settings, show results that the 3–tesla machines can do anything a workhorse 1.5–tesla scanner can, but can do it faster and better.  It really is about as good as you can get when it comes to MRI scanners.”

Yearwood noted that once installed, the 3-tesla machine will be the only one of that quality available in the region, including South Florida.

The installation of the machine will lead to some services moving and the hospital boss said patients need to look out for future notifications, as there will be some relocation of services once the 3-tesla arrives.

The public-private partnership allows the HSA to provide citizens enhanced and more convenient services while remaining within its budget.. 3T Cayman will assume responsibility for providing and maintaining the equipment, and for providing qualified staff. Officials said that cost savings will be realized because beneficiaries who would have previously needed to go off-Island will now be able to have their required procedures on island.

“With the installation of the 3-tesla MRI scanner at the end of the year we look forward to offering a service that is unprecedented within the region for the benefit of all Cayman residents,” Yearwood added.

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Category: Health

About the Author ()

Comments (15)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. anon says:

    CNS,
    The right name is Cayman Islands Hospital, not George Town Hospital. It was changed when the Health Services became an Authority in 2002.

    Kind Regards,

  2. Dr Yaron Rado says:

    The 1.5 Tesla closed MRI machine in the trailer is the above mentioned temporary MRI, that is a typical work horse mechine as you would expect to find it in any modern radiology department. We are preparing the space inside GT Hospital for the 3T MRI, hoping to bring it within Q4 of 2012.

    The 3T machine is a new generation wide bore MRI that GE introduced last year. It offers a couple of technical advances that the patient might not realize. Its core advantage lies in offering a 70cm bore width compared with the standard 60cm that made MRI tests very claustrophobic. You can google the specifications as "GE 750W 3T".

    We ordered it with all option boxes ticked. Mrs Yearwood is rightin saying that we will be the first offering this technology in the region, including the whole Caribbean and Florida.

    There is no need to be unhappy about this equipment. It puts Cayman on the map and is only one of many investments that will be announced by others and us that believe in Cayman's future as a medical tourism destination.

    Kind regards

    Dr. Yaron Rado

    • anon says:

      Speaking of Medical Tourism, accreditation will be key to attracting the foreign market, not just the low cost, white sand and beaches. If these local health institutions won't have it, then it'll just be Dr. Shetty  – the one man medical tourism show – becuase you can gauruntee that his place will be accredited.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Can someone verify that this MRI machine is actually a secoind hand one and is housed in a shipping container (AKA a self contained building by Yearwood of the HSA)  and is out in the parking lot at the GT Hospital and patients have to be wheeled out to it in the hot sun and or rain to have an MRI????  If so…the lies and deception to make us believe the HSA is up to scratch have come a long way but the health care equipment and maintenance and qualified and caring staff fall short by most standards …..sad but true…..and ignoring the facts or lying about it does not change the facts.   

    • anon says:

      I don't know about second hand, but yes it is outside as a state-of-the-art enclosed mobile solution. It is temporary and not horrid like what you have described. This option makes better business sense and is a safer experience for the patient rather than sending them to Florida where they might experience (in your words) "hot sun and or rain" during their would-be-more-expensive 3-4 day journey. BOOOM!!! just playin 🙂

  4. Slowpoke says:

    So, will this be completed before the Shetty promised Cath Lab?  Was I in a coma?

    • anon says:

      It should be.. the installion of one machine wouldn't take as long as contructing the 1st phase of Dr Shetty's health city.

  5. Freakin' 'ell says:

    And where did the money come from? Savings from the fired road guy?

  6. Caymanian to the bone says:

    Hopefully there will be staff competent enough to use and read the results.

    • LCB says:

      You need to learn how to read. The article clearly stated:

      "3T Cayman will assume responsibility for providing and maintaining the equipment, and for providing qualified staff."

      Research "qualified" – but read your research material carefully.

  7. Knot S Smart says:

    Good.

    Finally I can go ahead and 'break-a-leg'…

    • Anonymous says:

      I don't know where Dr. Rado gets his info, but there are at least a half dozen 3-Tesla MRIs in South Florida as of last year.

      • Anonymous says:

        Actually it was Ms. Year wood who said it

      • Bobo-Not says:

        The article says "Yearwood noted that once installed, the 3-tesla machine will be the only one of that quality available in the region, including South Florida" – Dr Rado made no such assertion.

    • anon says:

      Just make sure that your health insurance is in order first.. or else you'll just be sitting there with a broken leg because nobody's paying for it 🙂