GE Healthcare, a global leader in healthcare solutions providing transformational medical technologies and services, on Wednesday introduced to the Middle East the company's latest breakthrough - the Discovery CT750 HD, which brings unparalleled image quality and lowest possible dose to address this region's health challenges. The launch of the high-definition (HD), ultra low dose Computed Tomography (CT) scanner was on the sidelines of a symposium, held in Riyadh in cooperation with the Radiological Society of Saudi Arabia (RSSA), as part of its fifth monthly educational activity 2009. The event featured industry renowned speakers, covering topics including the future of CT. The new diagnostic solution is particularly relevant given the recent study of McKinsey & Company, which predicts that over the next 20 years, healthcare demand will rise by 240 per cent in the GCC countries alone. Healthcare infrastructure and the availability of qualified and trained personnel will need to expand considerably to cope with this demand. Moreover, by 2015, the number of deaths caused by cardio-vascular diseases in the region is projected to increase by 20 percent. GE Healthcare is addressing the challenge through a proactive outlook. GE recently announced that it will spend US$3 billion over the next six years on healthcare innovation that will help deliver better care to more people at lower cost. The company will also commit $2 billion of financing and $1 billion in related GE technology and content to drive healthcare information technology and health in rural and under-served areas. These investments are the foundation of GE's “healthymagination” initiative, which is built on the global commitments of reducing costs, improving quality and expanding access for millions of people. “Today, the Middle East region has one of the fastest growing healthcare infrastructures. Healthcare providers are facing increasing demand from patients for more and better quality services and enhanced performance and profitability from shareholders. GE's ‘healthymagination' business strategy addresses the need for sustainable healthcare mechanisms, which will be vital in helping to transform healthcare delivery in the region,” said Aziz Koleilat, general manager, Middle East and Pakistan at GE Healthcare. The new Discovery CT750 HD is a high definition CT system that advances image quality through increased resolution, lower x-ray dose, and innovative applications such as Gemstone Spectral Imaging. These advances are now possible due to a fundamental redesign of the entire image chain including the breakthrough GemstoneTM detector and High Definition reconstruction technology. “Improving patient care with dose reduction features is the clinical environment we are looking for at King Faisal Specialist Hospital. With Discovery CT 750 HD, our patients will benefit from significant dose reduction for the entire body imaging and our radiologists can extend their diagnostic findings,” said Dr. Stig Holtas, head of Radiology Department at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center. At the core of Discovery CT750 HD is the proprietary GE GemstoneTM detector, built with the first new CT scintillator in 20 years and based on a garnet gemstone. The GemstoneTM detector enables spatial resolution improvements of up to 33 percent for routine body imaging over existing products. __
