To date complaints about “a waiting list to get a CT scan” by patients continues to pour in despite claims by the Ministry of Health the scanner is up and running.
A family in Fa’atoia said they have been trying to get a CT scan since May but to no avail. Amata Lefiti said, her name on the waiting list is booked up to September.
There are also complaints from patients that have been on the “waiting list” since last year when the hospital’s CT scanner did not arrive in the country and are still waiting to get a CT scan as prescribed by their doctors.
Samoa has been without a CT scanner for close to two years and patients have been transferred to either New Zealand or American Samoa for scans
Last month the Ministry confirmed the Computer Tomography (CT) Scan is “partly operational”.
However, the complaints came as a surprise to the Minister of Health Valasi Tafito Selesele.
In an interview with Radio Polynesia this week, Valasi said he’s yet to receive official complaints from the public and the latest update from the hospital is that the operation of the CT scanner is running smoothly.
Valasi assured the public that he will inquire about a waiting list, but also noted the priority for the scanner are the patients with emergency cases.
“We are still waiting for an engineer from the Philippines, he will be conducting training with the Radiology Division to ensure the CT scanner operates to the fullest of its capacity.
“The engineer will arrive at the end of this month or early next month, the delay is due to the Covid restrictions,” said the Minister.”
In March, Minister of Health Valasi Tafito Selesele told Radio Polynesia the computerized tomography or CT scan arrived in the Country, but the hospital was waiting for “special technicians” from overseas to arrive in the Country; to assemble and install the machine before it can be used at that time.
