Huge advances in the screening, diagnosis and treatment of cancer will be made in Qatar with the Radiology Department at the Hamad Medical Corporation introducing the latest technologies available for the scanning of the disease in the coming months.
The department will make available PET scanning next year. Positron emission tomography (PET) is a nuclear medicine imaging technique which produces a three-dimensional image or picture of functional processes in the body.
The department is also planning to have the latest version of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners, within the next six months.
Speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of the five-day Qatar Health 2010, Radiology Department acting chairman Dr Ahmed Omar said the radiology conference at the Qatar Health was focusing on new technologies for imaging cancer.
“Hopefully next year, we are going to have the latest technology in radiology and imaging and this is going to be a part of the big vision for combating cancer from the SCH and the project is actually a huge project, it’s going to tackle the important issue of early diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients,” he explained.
“We are also promoting new imaging because next year, again in six months’ time, we are hopefully going to have MRI scanners. We are going to have a new version of the MRI scanner, the new Tesla MRI scanner, which is more powerful. We have had a state-of-the-art lecture on this new technology,” Dr Omar, who is the Qatar Health Radiology track chairman said.
He said four new MRI scanners to be installed in the department will help ease pressure and reduce the patients’ long waiting time.
Noimot Olayiwola
Gulf Times