The installation of the fully computerised Digital Radiography System at the Government Chest Clinic in Puducherry is expected to help in early detection of diseases like tuberculosis, while bringing down costs of diagnosis and ensuring ease of maintaining records.
The Digital Radiography System was inaugurated at the Government Chest Clinic, a tertiary care institution, by Chief Minister N. Rangasamy on Thursday, and is the first-of-its-kind in a unit of the Puducherry Government.
Some of the advantages of the new system include saving of time as the X-ray image can be sent directly to the doctor’s computer and the film need not be developed in every case.
The X-ray report can also be sent by email. Importantly, the provision to zoom into the X-ray image and its superior clarity will help detect minute issues thus aiding faster diagnosis in tuberculosis and respiratory system disorders, said Dr. S. Govindarajan, State Tuberculosis Control Officer.
The Digital Radiography System is a retrofitted unit, which caters specifically to chest X-ray, said Arun, technical specialist. While a regular unit can cost around Rs. 90 lakh, this has cost around Rs. 32 lakh because of the retrofitting, he said.
Capacity
The unit has a capacity of 300 patients a day.
The inauguration was also attended by Dr. K.V. Raman, Director, Department of Health and Family Welfare Services.
The Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) has seen the rate of tuberculosis cases fall from 140 per one lakh of population in 2006 to 96 per one lakh of population last year in the Union Territory of Puducherry, said Dr. Govindarajan.
At present, 1400 people are diagnosed and treated for TB every year in the UT, with 30,000 being screened every year, he added.
Last year, around 20 cases of Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) were detected in Puducherry.
