New Medical Equipment to Improve Health Care, Wait Times
Cancer care, and patient care for pregnant mothers and babies, will improve thanks to millions of dollars in new support announced today, Nov. 14, by the Nova Scotia government.
Premier John Hamm committed $1.3 million to the IWK Health Centre and $5.8 million to Capital Health toward getting Nova Scotians tests, treatment and care faster.
"Giving doctors, nurses, and other health professionals the equipment they need is a critical part of our plan to reduce wait lists," said Premier Hamm. "The new pieces will allow our health professionals to do more, and will improve their ability to treat patients."
The IWK will benefit from new diagnostic ultrasound and X-ray equipment. Capital Health will receive funding for new equipment to treat cancer patients, along with new surgical imaging equipment, to be located at the QEII Health Sciences Centre.
The new equipment will be paid for from the $15 million available this year from the federal contribution to Nova Scotia for new or replacement diagnostic medical equipment.
Capital Health's new system will allow for precise tailoring of radiation doses, and will reduce waiting times by accommodating an additional 500 patients per year. Capital Health will also receive an image-guided surgery system, which will use computerized integration of medical imaging to plan and carry out precise, complex surgeries at a greater rate -- between 150 and 200 more than the previous equipment, per year.
"The new equipment will improve access to radiation therapy services to patients of Nova Scotia," said Capital Health CEO Don Ford. "The replacement simulator is new technology which will provide greater flexibility and increased efficiency in treatment planning. The additional high-energy linear accelerator will increase our capacity to provide more timely access to radiation therapy for our patients."
For health-care professionals and patients at the IWK, the new ultrasound equipment will improve picture quality, and allow for a more detailed diagnosis. The new equipment will perform more than 12,000 exams a year on mothers and babies.
"The IWK is always looking for new ways to reduce wait times and provide quality care to our patients," said Dr. Alex Gillis, president and CEO of the IWK Health Centre. "This new equipment will give our staff the tools they need to provide more timely diagnoses to the women and children we serve."
Halifax-area hospitals and nursing homes will also receive $185,000 to purchase equipment such as patient lifts and special tubs that will provide added comfort to patients and ease workload for nurses. Funding will also be provided to expand a technology network that will allow for the digital transfer of X- rays, CAT scans and other diagnostic images among hospitals across the province. This technology, called picture archiving communications system (PACS), will mean better information sharing and faster diagnosis.
Increasing access to MRIs is another important part of the province's wait list plan. Consultation is now getting underway to determine the best use of existing MRIs, as well as where additional MRIs may be needed. The consultations will also determine what kind of MRIs work best and how the greatest number of patients can access them. This work will guide spending decisions for medical equipment funding in the next two years.
In February 2003, the First Ministers' Accord on Health Care Renewal was released. The accord included a commitment for Nova Scotia of $45 million over three years -- $15 million each year, beginning in 2003-04 -- for diagnostic medical equipment.
The district health authorities will announce next week the allocation of the remaining funding for this year.