Minister for Health and Medical Services Doctor Ifereimi Waqainabete says CT Scan services at the Lautoka Hospital are currently being outsourced to Zens Medical Centre in Nadi and if patients are referred by Health Ministry specialists, they do not pay a cent.
The Health Minister was responding to NFP MP Lenora Qereqeretabua’s question about alternatives available to patients in the Western Division given the absence of a working CT Scan machine at the Lautoka Hospital.
Waqainabete says the CT Scan machine at the Lautoka Hospital is not functioning and they are in the process of replacing it with a $1.5 million top of the range CT Scan machine from Japan.
The Health Minister confirms the CT Scan machine from Japan will arrive in August this year.
Waqainabete adds Aspen Medical which is managing the Lautoka and Ba Hospitals has also committed to putting up a temporary CT Scan in May this year.
He says they are also getting CT Scan machines for the CWM and Labasa Hospitals and this is going through the tender process.
Qereqeretabua then asked the Health Minister if patients being referred to Zens Medical Centre are paying for the services.
Waqainabete says the 686 patients referred for CT Scan to Zens Medical Centre from August last year to February this year did not pay a cent as they were referred by Health Ministry specialists.
He revealed the Ministry has paid $297,340 for those referrals.
Doctor Waqainabete adds if the patients went directly to Zens Medical Centre, it was a private referral.
