The Hospital Bernard Mevs has now a CT Scanner [Computed Tomography] (1), thanks to a donation of 500,000 dollars from the Foundation Yéle Haïti, through the Project Medishare. The Director General of Yélé Haïti, Derek Johnson, expressed his pride in the realization of this project and has affirmed that a new milestone had been reached to "provide better care to the Haitian people." This medical equipment, was presented to the press in the presence of Wyclef Jean and of President Michel Martelly.

The President Martelly has declared during the presentation :

"This is a first in the field of health in Haiti [...] we will give an emergency service that does not exist elsewhere in Haiti and that will save lives. I've seen people here, who had all sorts of problems, they will come and seek care immediately, is a great first [...] I just want to ask the stakeholders, to the people who love Haiti, those who operate in the field of health, that they continue to bring us this assistance, it is this that we need, we must begin to respect the life, protect the life [...] Today, people who are here, are people who like people, people who want to protect the life, I tell them thank you."

This CT scanner is the most reliable in the world and the most powerful in its class according to Dr. Crenshaw, radiologist at the Seattle Hospital (USA). This scanner, which is the first of its kind in Haiti, will be put at the service not only of the patients of the Hospital Bernard Mevs, but also patients from other hospitals in the country, "This equipment is the more sophisticated than the country has ever had" stated Dr. Marie Marguerite Vorbe Mevs, President of the administrative board of the hospital Bernard Mevs.

Drs Jerry and Marlon Bitar, surgeons, officials of the hospital Mevs Bernard praised the importance of such equipment in the hospital. "This is an additional tool for diagnosing essential now. This will save lives while making prevention [...] Before, we had impressions, now thanks to this scanner, we have certainties, because, we could not see the interior of the patients, we had to wait for signs of illness. Now, the scanner tells us from the beginning the patient's condition."

Housed in a dedicated container in the yard of the hospital, this scanner is connected to the system of reading and archiving of Jackson Memorial Hospital (JMH) in Miami. The images read through the scanner, during the diagnostics, will be interpreted by both Haitian doctors and doctors of JMH, for better analysis. Haitian technicians are being trained in the use of this technology of medical imaging, by experts of the JMH.

The President of the Board of Directors of the hospital Bernard Mevs, did not want to talk about the price of an analysis conducted from this scanner, but she assured that even the smallest wallet will have access to it, adding that the victims of accidents or attacks will not be charged.

(1) Learn more about the CT Scanner :
The CT Scanner (Computed Tomography), uses a special X-ray equipment to obtain information from the whole body from different angles. Then it uses computer processing of this information to recreate an image in slices of different tissues and organs. [16 slices for the model in Haiti].

This type of scanner is particularly useful because it can show different types of tissues such as lung, bone, soft tissue and blood vessels among other : diagnosis of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, infections, trauma and musculoskeletal diseases. The CT examination is a non-invasive and involves minimal radiation.

A CT scan, is very similar to other examinations involving X-rays. In the case of the scanner, the film is replaced by multiple rows of detectors located at the opposite of the X-ray tube that will measure the radiation passing through the patient, as the tube rotates. In each turn, the detectors will record approximately a thousand images. From there, a computer will reconstruct a transverse image (that is to say, a slice of the patient).

HL/ HaitiLibre