ECHOLAB Radiology and Laboratory Services (ECHOLAB), in partnership with GE Healthcare, recently hosted the Distinguished Doctors’ Forum—a periodic medical diagnostic symposium—shining a spotlight on the latest innovation in Interventional Radiology and its imperative for better healthcare delivery service and improved patient outcomes in Nigeria.
The world over, Interventional Radiology (IR) has had immense growth in importance and value in healthcare delivery systems. The concept behind Interventional Radiology is to diagnose and treat patients using the least invasive techniques currently available in order to minimize risk to the patient and improve health outcomes. These procedures have less risk, less pain and less recovery time in comparison to open surgery.
Speaking on the initiative, CEO of ECHOLAB, Dr. Alok Bhatia, noted: “Interventional Radiology is a relatively new field of interest for a developing country like Nigeria. There aren’t many centers that are doing that kind of work. The necessary equipment is lacking and, where you have it, you do not have enough trained manpower. However, being a part of the Integrated Diagnostics Holdings (IDH)—one of the largest medical diagnostic groups—we have done extensive work in Intervention Radiology with over 100 radiologists reporting across different radiology segments.”
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“Indeed, we have the equipment and the expertise—with continuous process improvement, in alignment with global best practices. The intervention we provide is of great benefit to the patients because they do not have to be exposed to too many surgical procedures to get the treatment they need. But no patient comes directly to a centre saying I want an intervention; they have to be referred. That is why we are hosting these knowledge-sharing sessions to let our referring physicians know what facilities and services we offer and how their patients can access them.”
On how the partnership with GE Healthcare has boosted the diagnostic capabilities of ECHOLAB, Bhatia said: “When a world-class supplier of innovative medical equipment like GE combines with a world-class facility like ECHOLAB to handle the equipment, along with world-class doctors reporting on it, what you get is a winning partnership that ensures quantitative accuracy for improved diagnosis and treatment outcomes for patients. Also, with technologies constantly evolving, the partnership with GE helps us to upgrade our offerings to the end users, in a cost-effective manner.”
“We are really proud to be associated with ECHOLAB,” said Dr. George Uduku, GE Healthcare’s General Manager for West Africa. “Healthcare is a very complex sector with lots of pressing challenges. And no group is going to be able to solve these challenges alone. That is why, at GE Healthcare, we are working in partnership with top private healthcare facilities like ECHOLAB, as well as public hospitals, to bring to market latest equipment and technologies that simplify workflows, improves dose efficiency and safety, and at the same time improves precision in therapeutics.”
“One such equipment, which is currently deployed at ECHOLAB, is the Revolution Maxima—a high performance CT imaging system. It is a paradigm shift in terms of how we apply artificial intelligence to simplify workflows. It addresses many of the challenges that radiologists face with positioning, and the impact in terms of the time taken to carry out the procedures. Also, it minimizes exposure to radiation for the patient from having to do repeat scans because of errors. With the Revolution Maxima’s automated patient positioning, you can get the right image the first time.”
On IDH’s vison for the country, Group Chief Business Development and Medical Informatics Officer, Professor Mohamed Aggag, said: “Nigeria, like many other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, has a huge gap in healthcare services. And its growing population underlies the need to deliver additional value. This is why IDH has made significant investment in the country through ECHOLAB, and we are looking to inject more funds to expand our reach and improve access to quality medical diagnostic services, including Interventional Radiology, with 50 more branches in the next three years.”
By the “less is more” concept of achieving outcomes through IR’s minimally invasive techniques, Interventional Radiology enables healthcare delivery systems to better achieve the “triple aim” of healthcare: improved patient experience, improved community/population health, and reduced per capita cost. It does this by shifting care to outpatient settings and increasing patient throughput while at the same time decreasing risk and shortening recovery times. Indeed, in Nigeria like the rest of the world, an era of IR clinical expertise is upon us.
Some of the other speakers at the event include Dr. Emmanuel Iyere, Lead Consultant Pathologist and Head of Pathology Services at ECHOLAB Radiology and Laboratory Services; Tessica Chetty, Clinical Leader for Interventional Radiology at GE Healthcare; and Chijioke Ubandu, Modality Sales Leader-CT, also from GE Healthcare. There was an interactive panel session moderated by Dr. Shedrack Kenis, Lead Consultant Radiologist and Head of Radiology Services at ECHOLAB Nigeria.
