Summary
The project consists of the delivery and installation of various direct digital Chest X-ray equipment including IT facilities such as a digital image data base with back-up facilities, computer aided image reading software, Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) and remote image reading capability, the networking of health workers, the improvement of advocacy, the training of personnel in equipment operation and chest image reading, the maintenance of equipment and the strengthening of management. A total of 51 Chest X-ray systems consisting of a combination of fixed units and mobile clinics will be developed and established.
Location
Ghana
Sector
Life Sciences & Health
Applicant
Ministry of Finance
Competent Authority
Ministrie of Health,The National Tuberculosis Control Programme
Parties Involved
Oldelft Benelux
Project number
ORIO09/GH/05
Total project cost / Total ORIO Grant amount
21,500,000 Euro / 6,573,017 Euro
Status project
Implementation Phase
Tuberculosis is a highly infectious disease and has a profoundly damaging socio-economic impact on patients, their families and on the countries where it is endemic. TB case detection is very low and reached only 27% in 2007. Current obstacles to detect TB in Ghana are (1) low sensitivity of the standard detection methodology of smear microscopy or sputum analysis, (2) limited or no access to quality chest images, (3) high cost of sputum culture and (4) limited laboratory capacity.
TB can be controlled and diminished with proper and timely diagnosis and treatment. By the introduction of direct digital chest radiology, patients and clinicians will be provided with access to an additional diagnostic tool to detect more sputum smear positive/negative as well as extra-pulmonary cases. The present project aims to solve or reduce current obstacles to wider Chest X-ray access and will take digital X-ray equipment where there was no X-ray equipment before. By increasing the case detection rate robustly, it will take Ghana into the WHO defined MDG target zone of 70% TB case detection by 2015.