Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital (BDTH) of Kaduna State University (KASU) has installed a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine for the diagnoses of all kinds of diseases.
Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee of the hospital, Dr Tokan Baduku, who disclosed this to newsmen, said the scan machine used strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of the inner part of human body.
He said that the machine could scan any part of the body to enable a doctor to diagnose illnesses and treat patients better, particularly in the area of surgery where the machine shows the doctor precisely where to go to.
He described the development as a turning point in the hospital’s quest to provide quality and efficient medical training, research and services.
He added that before the installation of the machines the hospital had to refer patients to other hospitals in the state and sometimes to Abuja or Kano for an MRI scan.
Baduku revealed that the equipment was procured with the support from Tertiary Education Trust Fund’s Special Intervention Project at the cost of N149.9 million.
“Because of the MRI machine, we will soon start a post graduate programme in radiology, a specialised branch of medicine that uses imaging to diagnose and treat diseases within the body.
“We hope to get accreditation for the training before the end of the year and if done, we will be able to train the needed manpower in radiology within the next five years. Our medical students will equally acquire basic knowledge on how to use the machine to diagnose and treat illnesses,” he said.
He noted that KASU medical school had already scaled two stages of accreditation and currently awaiting the final stage and the accreditation, expected by the end of next quarter, would enable the university to graduate its first set of medical students.
“Similarly, we have secured full accreditation for Family Medicine last year and plans have been concluded for accreditation of four additional programmes. They are Community Medicine, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Paediatrics, hopefully by the end of next quarter.”
He also said that the teaching hospital currently had no fewer than 60 consultants in different fields and recently recruited resident doctors and medical officers to improve the quality of service delivery.
Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.
