Persons needing to undergo computerised tomography (CT) scans at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) will no longer be required to pay for this service.
This was announced on Friday by GPHC’s Chief Executive Officer (ag), Robbie Rambarran, after meeting with the Board of Directors the previous day.
This change in policy will take effect as of November 1, 2022.
In a statement on Friday, the GPHC explained that cost of a scan varies and the hospital’s management realised that this places a heavy financial strain on patients. 
With the introduction of the free CT scans, patients will now be saving as much as between $15,000 to $52,000 for this service. Moreover, the public hospital noted that this fee removal will also assist in expediting the treatment and care of the patients at the GPHC.
“Patients will no longer have to worry about arranging financial transaction in order to foot the bill. So this move will eliminate any financial difficulty. Management is cognisant of the cost of living and do empathize with anyone suffering from any illness,” the GPHC said.
This move by the GPHC comes on the heels of the New Amsterdam Public Hospital (NAPH) in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) offering CT scans free of cost after installing a brand-new equipment in October 2020.
Prior to this installation, residents in nearby areas were previously forced to travel elsewhere to seek this type of radio technology service.
Since the installation two years ago, more than 1600 CT imaging were done free of charge, including CT with contrast. The CT is linked to the GPHC through a PAC system, permitting teleradiology service with specialists from GPHC. With this technology, referrals to GPHC have been severely reduced.
The installation of the equipment at the NAPH followed a visit in 2020 to the hospital by Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony, who committed to taking immediate steps to improve health services in the Region as a whole and at the NAPH, as well as at other healthcare institutions in the area, in particular.
At the time, Region Health Officer (RHO) of Region Six, Dr Vishalya Sharma, emphasised the importance of having such a critical piece of equipment functioning at the Hospital.
“CT scan machines are used in the diagnosis of illnesses like muscle and bone disorders, such as bone tumours and fractures. It pinpoints the location of a tumour, infection, or blood clot to guide doctors for the next procedures,” she explained.
Dr Sharma had noted that the availability of the machine will save many patients from spending a lot on traveling to Georgetown to seek medical care, either at public or private health institutions.
According to the RHO, RAD-AID International, in 2016, had handed over the new CT scanner, valued at approximately US$200,000, to the then Ministry of Public Health, but the equipment was never installed and operationalised.
