Hospitals in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain have received temporary CT scanning units to help detect cases of coronavirus.
Diagnostic equipment fitted inside shipping containers has been delivered to Sheikh Khalifa Medical City and Al Ain Hospital to begin testing for viral pneumonia, the deadly symptom linked with Covid-19.
A CT scan, or computed tomography, is a combination of x-ray images which help doctors come to a more accurate diagnosis of a patient’s condition and can detect signs of pneumonia.
The self-contained units are separate to the main hospital facility, allowing for isolation from the main treatment areas to reduce risk of infection.
The vital equipment has been delivered as part of a project led by GE Healthcare.
The scanners can be used to test patients away from medical facilities - such as in hospital car parks - to minimise exposure to fellow patients and staff.
A total of four ‘CT in a Container’ units were specially built and fully assembled in the UAE.
Two additional units at the special Covid-19 screening centre in Al Dhafra and Emirates Humanitarian City are expected to be operational within weeks.
Each is fully self-contained and fitted with a filtration system that keeps out 90 per cent of potential contaminants.
The units allow physicians to complete patient lung screenings in under a minute and can serve more than 100 visitors a day.
It takes just five minutes to decontaminate the room between patients.
