100 Mile District General Hospital patients and staff will soon see new radiographic equipment in its X-ray department.
Interior Health (IH) and the Cariboo Chilcotin Regional Hospital District (CCRHD) are jointly funding the $278,000 general radiographic system purchase, says CCRHD chair John Massier.
He notes that according to the agreement for hospital purchases more than $100,000, it is at the usual 60-40 per cent split, with the CCRHD contributing $111,200 and IH covering the remaining $166,800.
"It is nice to see that IH is investing in the equipment that's needed for this area. I think it's just become a priority – some of the systems for replacement or upgrading."
The chair adds the CCRHD is pleased to partner with IH in bringing the local X-ray system up to modern standards.
"I think its going to be a nice advancement. The system that's in place is from 2003, so it's a 12-year-old system that they’re upgrading."
This involves a complete new system with the table and overhead X-ray, the wall stands, and a digital imaging system that utilizes a photo-sensitive digital plate instead of the traditional film, Massier says.
He explains when an image is captured, it is imported directly into the digital archives and can be immediately transferred wherever it needs to go – eliminating the need to wait for film development and manual delivery.
"It can be looked at by a doctor here who can then push a couple of buttons for a specialist to look at somewhere else in another part of the province.
"They can access it through IH or another part of their [health network] because they've upgraded the system through all of the hospitals."