BUKIT MERTAJAM – The government has approved an allocation of RM5.5 million for the purchase of a computed tomography scan (CT scan) machine for use at Bukit Mertajam Hospital (HBM) here.
Deputy Finance Minister II Steven Sim said HBM will be the third hospital in Penang to have a CT scan unit after Seberang Jaya Hospital (HSJ) and Penang Hospital (HPP).
Sim said prior to this, HBM patients who required CT scans had to be referred to HSJ and HPP, with some 6,000 such cases referred to HSJ yearly, and more serious cases to HPP.
“Early this year, the hospital requested approval to be expedited as of the four hospitals within the Seberang Perai area…only HSJ has a CT scan machine,” he said after a visit to the hospital here today.
Meanwhile, HBM director Dr Goh Hin Kwang said the CT scan machine was badly needed at HBM, especially for emergency cases such as accidents, brain haemorrhage, and stroke cases.
With the procurement process ongoing, Dr Goh expects the machine to be delivered to HBM early next year. – Bernama, June 26, 2023
