The CT scanner at St Luke’s Hospital, which is used by an average of 10,000 patients annually, has been upgraded and now forms part of the technologically-advanced and state-of-the-art equipment at the hospital.

Inaugurating the new equipment, Health Minister Louis Deguara said that despite the fact that the government is constructing the Mater Dei Hospital, St Luke’s is not being abandoned.

In fact, the new CT scanner is one of the machines which will be transferred to the new hospital once it is completed.

Dr Deguara said that apart from upgrading this machine, the government also purchased two new ultrasound machines and upgraded the MRI scanner, making it twice as efficient and thus reducing the waiting list by half.

He explained that apart from better results, the upgraded CT scanner carried out a scan in a shorter period and thus more scans can be carried out every day.

Radiographers have been given specialised training on this machine by international experts.

The number of people using this machine doubled since 1996. During the year 1996 5,883 patients were scanned. In 2000, this number increased to 7,767 and increased further to 10,327 in 2003.

The time people wait for an appointment to use the CT scanner is between four and five months.

On average, 30 scans are being carried out every day.