The University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, says it will champion training in radiology informatics in the West African sub-region for precise and effective healthcare delivery in diseases such as cancer.
The UCH Chief Medical Director, Prof. Jesse Otegbayo, made this vow in Ibadan while addressing newsmen on the sideline of the opening of the new Radiology Reporting Room.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the opening of the room was made possible through a partnership of the tertiary institution with RAD-AID International, a US-based non-profit organisation.
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NAN further reports that Radiology Informatics, also known as Medical Imaging informatics, concerns with how medical images are used and exchanged through complex healthcare systems.
Otegbayo said that the radiology reporting room, which came with the installation of a Picture Archiving Communication System (PACS) and access to the Google Cloud Platform, would provide essential imaging informatics services.
According to him, imaging informatics plays an essential role in training, research, accurate diagnosis and prognosis of diseases like cancer.
“Medicine has advanced so much that you don’t just make diagnosis by merely examining patients and making your own intuitive decisions.
“We need advanced and high-tech investigative modalities and what has been commissioned in the radiology department is part of the efforts to make effective and accurate diagnosis.
“This facility is part of the efforts of this administration to improve patient care and staff welfare.
“The opening of this facility is in line with our vision to make UCH a landmark and “Mecca” for cutting-edge research and training in West Africa.
“We appreciate RAD-AID International officials for the faith they have in us to take this important revolutionary step with us in spite of negative publicity in the media,” he said.
The Director of RAD-AID Nigeria, Dr Farouk Dako, said radiology informatics help clinicians to have immediate electronic access to medical images, save precious time and cost as well as allow timely medical decisions by reducing unnecessary repetition of examinations.
According to him, digital imaging and health information technologies have become critical to the provision of better and precise quality patient care and management.
“It is also not only to save cost of care, it also makes the job of radiologists easier and this helps them to perform to the peak.
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“Our work here in UCH has been successful because the hospital has the pre-existing infrastructure, which makes it easy for us to take the necessary steps.
“We have been able to connect some of their x-rays and CT scans and MRIs to a more centrally located place, where it can be saved and archived whenever it is needed and patients don’t have to go around with films and worry about lost records.
“We have a partnership agreement with UCH and I foresee a bright future in our partnership because of the support and cooperation we enjoyed from the hospital community,” he said.
Dako, who is a radiologist, said that RAD-AID International exists to advance the provision of digital imaging and health information services for medically-under-served populations in low and middle income countries. (NAN)
