ECHOLAB Radiology and Laboratory Services (ECHOLAB), in partnership with GE Healthcare, is leading the change towards the adoption of Interventional Radiology in healthcare service delivery in Nigeria. This was the focus of the ECHOLAB-GE Distinguished Doctors’ Forum—a periodic medical diagnostics symposium, held in Lagos at the weekend.
The concept behind Interventional radiology (IR) is to diagnose and treat patients using the least invasive techniques available to minimise 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, the CEO of ECHOLAB, Dr Alok Bhatia, said: “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 IR with over 100 radiologists reporting across different radiology segments.”
“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 the latest equipment and technologies that simplify workflows, improves dose efficiency and safety, and at the same time improves precision in therapeutics.”
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 investments 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.