The establishment of a new medical diagnostic facility at Groote Schuur Hospital is set to drastically improve the study and treatment of tuberculosis. According to an Eyewitness News report, a pet-CT scanner has been unveiled at the hospital – computed tomography is an imaging method that combines the body’s metabolic information with the morphological data obtained by the CT scan.
The Western Cape has the highest tuberculosis prevalence rate in the world. But with the rollout of the new pet-CT facility, which is jointly run by the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, it's hoped TB treatment will be vastly improved.
UCT medicine department head Ntobeko Ntusi is quoted in the report as saying: “We’ll see how we can use this to better understand disease and tuberculosis.”
Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo highlighted the importance of collaboration. “Partnership is about sharing skills, expertise and resources, as well the risks.”
The report says funding to establish, the scanner was donated by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Technology Innovation Agency, Aspen Holdings and UCT.
[link url="https://ewn.co.za/2019/11/14/groote-schuur-hospital-gets-new-facility-to-fight-tb"]Eyewitness News report[/link]