After several months of interruption due to a lack of batteries, Axial Computed Tomography (ACT) studies were restored in the Imaging Department of the Dr. Ernesto Guevara de la Serna General Teaching Hospital, thanks to the solidarity and financial support of people from Italy and the United Arab Emirates.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- Dr. Marianela Zapata Romero, director of the largest health institution in the province, told the press that its reopening is vital as a diagnostic tool for the quality of medical care, mainly in specialties such as Neurosurgery and Neurology.
Zapata Romero commented that the operation of the CT scanner has a very positive impact, as in previous months, patients in critical condition who urgently required the service —most of them on ventilators— had to be transported to Holguín, Bayamo, Manzanillo, and Camagüey. This, in addition to the complexity due to the patients' health status, added to the high cost of ambulance transportation.
The doctor emphasized that pediatric emergency care is currently also guaranteed, in support of the Mártires de Las Tunas Provincial Hospital. She also clarified that since this is the only multi-slice CT scanner available from Ciego de Ávila to Guantánamo, patients from neighboring provinces, whose equipment does not offer these services, will be treated.
Dr. María del Pilar Estrada Pérez, head of the Provincial Imaging Group, explained that the service focuses on efficient use of the equipment, which has been in operation for seven years and records approximately 60,000 exposures since its inauguration, above the average.
Based on her vast experience, the specialist explained that the CT scanner allows for the diagnosis of any pathology and is vital for cerebrovascular diseases, head trauma, and cancer patients who require investigation of the stages of the disease.
She added that it also offers extensive possibilities for performing reconstructions and detailed studies on the patient, improving the definition of the characteristics of the lesions, besides offering significant benefits in the training of new generations of specialists.
The health officials clarified that the use of the CT scanner is rationalized through collective discussions in multidisciplinary teams. Despite being a high-tech study, it also entails considerable risk to the patients due to high radiation exposure, which should only be performed when necessary.
Since the donation arrived, the Delegation of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) described it as important, highlighting the leading role in this effort played by the Lombardy Coordination of the Italy-Cuba National Friendship Association (ANAIC), and a great friend of Dubai who has visited Las Tunas for more than 20 years.
“The purchase and shipment of the batteries took time, as we had to overcome many logistical difficulties due to the criminal blockade that has sieged Cuba for many years,” Franco Tonon, leader of the Lombard solidarity group, commented from Italy.
“However, he insisted, the deep ties that unite us could, as on other occasions, overcome the difficulties and carry out this expedition. We are sure the health professionals will make the most of it and will help many people in Las Tunas.
“It is a demonstration, through actions, of our solidarity and affection for the people of Las Tunas, who have welcomed us with friendship for so many years,” he concluded.
