PESHAWAR: The government plans to install first-ever digital X-ray unit of the province at the Khyber Teaching Hospital to improve diagnostic services and ensure effective patients’ care.

Hospital’s chief executive Professor Inayat Shah Roghani said the unit was desperately needed not only to improve patients’ investigation but also to save time of patients. We are working on a proposal aiming to upgrade radiology department of the hospital, he said.

Talking to Dawn on Wednesday he said: “At present, we receive 400-500 patients for various types of X-rays that are done through manual method which not only consumes more time but at times the film quality is too bad and patients are again exposed to radiation.”

While the new technology enables the health professionals to ensure quality of images before sending them to the print, he added.

Dr Roghani, who is also head of the radiology department, said the plan also included installation of state-of-the-art ultrasound machine which would also offer breast-scan services to the women suspected of cancers.

As opposed to mammography currently conducted on women for cancer detection, the patients will not stand exposed to radiation. The computed radiology, which was now being used worldwide, will cost Rs30 million, he maintained.

“Under the plan, we will establish linkages with hospital’s wards to share online images of the admitted patients with the respective doctors and quicken the process of their treatment,” he said.

The surgeons and physicians in various wards will be able to see the desired x-ray of patients on their computer screen within minutes, which under the present arrangements takes long time, he added.

Dr Roghani said that use of modern techniques in radiology would help doctors to diagnose their patients more effectively. Patients requiring clinical as well as diagnostic examination by their doctors would be able to get quality treatment, he added.

About 3,000 patients visited the hospital every day due to which 200 more beds were being added to the 1,000-bed teaching hospital, he said.

In view of the heavy load of patients, we will soon get equipments of Rs384 million for operation theatres, wards, accident and emergency department, he added.

He said construction of the purpose-built plastic and burn unit would be completed by June 30.

Dr Roghani said that 234 charge nurses were being employed after approval by the hospital’s management council to cope with the problem of shortage. The hospital required female staff for efficient maternal and child care, he added.