Sidilega launches world-class digital radiology department

Source: Supplied

Thanks to Mrs Isaacs – the visionary head of the Radiology Department, this dream is now in the making.

Not only did she set up the fully digitised radiology department from scratch but she equipped it with the GE OEC One CFD 31cm complete with vascular capability. This latest in GE's offering of compact C-arm technology, sets Africa's Sidilega Hospital Group as a forerunner in this field.

“We are very proud to bring this incredible technology to Botswana, and indeed, Africa. I can already see how much value it is adding to our radiographers and surgeons, who can now better meet our patients’ needs with greater ease and efficiency.” says Dr Motsholathebe Phuthego, the hospital director at Sidilega.

Superior image quality

“What I saw in this machine was every radiographer’s dream. The contrast and image quality are second to none and the design is so well thought out. From the layout to the small screen created just for the operator, the machine is so user-friendly and easy to access. It’s the first time I’ve seen a company both answer and truly cater to a radiographer’s every need,” says Isaacs.

Phuthego agrees. “Thanks to the efficiency and mobility of the GE OEC One we can now have two or three theatres operating at the same time. We are able to increase our activity and we don’t have to cancel the long list of patients in need of our orthopedic and cardiovascular expertise.”

GE OEC One has another very important role to play at Sidilega, to be used for endovascular procedures. As mentioned by Isaacs: “We have a cath lab and if that should go down and we need to have servicing done, the GE OEC One CFD is the machine we would use to stand in for that process.”

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Training: a lasting legacy

Procuring the OEC One CFD 31cm, with its low-dose, high-image quality, and large, flat panel detector, was a top priority for Isaacs. As a radiographer with 30 years of experience, she knows how important it is for radiographers to grow their skills in a fully digitised department with high-spec machines and a broad spectrum of modalities. She knows because it’s the reason she had to leave Botswana for 13 years.

“I had to go abroad to become the radiographer I wanted to be,” she says, recalling the 13 years she spent in Ireland, her UK training in GE healthcare systems and the acquisition of skills she couldn’t get in Botswana. Vital skills, like cardiac MRI and cardiac CT, which she brought into the country, and now passes on to her team. In May 2021, one year after opening its doors, Sidilega hired its first permanent interventional radiologist – an area of radiology that the new OEC One CFD mobile C-arm - with vascular software configuration - will be able to offer.

Unsurpassed benefits for surgeons

The OEC One CFD is already a game changer for Sidilega. With such high quality imaging, catering to the needs of orthopedic-, neuro- and endovascular surgery - and even the ER - surgeons can now execute and deliver faster procedures, which has resulted in quicker turnaround times for the hospital.

This is only the beginning. With more time and training, the OEC One CFD vascular capabilities will enable more vascular surgeries to take place at Sidilega.

According to Isaacs, it’s not uncommon for the orthopedic surgeons to double up and get through more caseloads, including government referrals, faster. Even the radiographers are more excited about going into surgery, now that they take up less room and offer more value in theatre, where both space and time is of a premium

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Best-in-class diagnostics

“I’m very proud that in bringing this revolutionary machine to Sidilega, we’re not only putting this hospital and Botswana on the map as a centre of excellence but proving that we are also leaders and drivers of digital technology in healthcare,” says Isaacs.

If there’s one thing that Sidilega and GE Healthcare share, it’s their unwavering commitment to bringing world-class equipment to the people and places that need it most. That is why when Sidilega opened its doors in 2020, GE Healthcare was at hand to help the hospital fulfill its mandate to provide best in class efficient and cost-effective healthcare services to the people of Botswana - and it hasn’t stopped.

GE Healthcare looks forward to supporting Sidilega’s vision to build a consortium of leading hospitals across Southern Africa: one world-class GE equipment at a time.