Nova Scotia renews medical equipment

HOSPITALS ALL across the province of Nova Scotia are seeing a renewal of their medical equipment, thanks to a $ 15 million federal medical equipment fund. Equipment purchases will include cardiovascular, X-ray, and surgical equipment, a CT scanner, and other technology to support bedside care.

Three new mammography units that will provide better quality images and detailed information are being purchased for the Nova Scotia Breast Screening Program - at a cost of $1.2 million.

Another $1.5 million will help expand the Picture Archiving Communication Systems (PACS) network. PACS stores and transfers X-rays, CT scans, and MRI images electronically among participating hospitals across the region. This allows health providers to consult with doctors and specialists, and to diagnose and begin treatment more quickly

About another $1 million will be distributed across the province for equipment that will assist nurses and others who work with patients. The long-term care sector will receive $625,000 and $128,000 will be invested in training more Nova Scotians to operate the additional medical equipment.

The remaining dollars will be distributed across Nova Scotia's nine district health authorities and the IWK Health Centre (Izaak Walton Killam Health Centre).

The Capital District Health Authority's $5.6 million will pay for equipment purchased earlier to reduce wait times for orthopaedic surgeries and will purchase instruments to replace discarded devices and a variety of other surgical equipment.

The IWK Health Centre's (www.iwk.nshealth.ca) more than $1.3 million will purchase a multi-slice CT scanner.

Additional purchases include a replacement X-ray unit, a sterilization unit, a digital fluoroscopy unit, a replacement ultrasound machine, upgrading for cardiac machinery, equipment for endoscopy procedures and, for Cape Breton Regional Hospital, a new, state-of-the-art patient monitoring system for the intensive care, coronary care and telemetry units.