National inventory of authorized diagnostic imaging equipment in Ghana: data as of September 2020

Bright Kwadwo Bour; Edem Kwabla Sosu; Francis Hasford; Prince Kwabena Gyekye; Daniel Gyingiri Achel; Augustine Faanu; Joseph Kwabena Amoako; Richard Denys Pitcher

doi:10.11604/pamj.2022.41.301.30635

National inventory of authorized diagnostic imaging equipment in Ghana: data as of September 2020

Pan Afr Med J. 2022 Apr 14:41:301. doi: 10.11604/pamj.2022.41.301.30635. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Bright Kwadwo Bour¹, Edem Kwabla Sosu^{1

2}, Francis Hasford^{1

2}, Prince Kwabena Gyekye^{1

3}, Daniel Gyingiri Achel^{1

2}, Augustine Faanu^{1

3}, Joseph Kwabena Amoako^{1

4}, Richard Denys Pitcher⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
² Radiological and Medical Sciences Research Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Accra, Ghana.
³ Radiological and Non-Ionizing Radiation Directorate, Nuclear Regulatory Authority, Accra, Ghana.
⁴ Radiation Protection Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Accra, Ghana.
⁵ Division of Radiodiagnosis, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.

Abstract

Introduction: to address the challenge of inadequate and non-equitable distribution of diagnostic imaging equipment, countries are encouraged to evaluate the distribution of installed systems and undertake adequate monitoring to ensure equitability. Ghana´s medical imaging resources have been analyzed in this study and evaluated against the status in other countries.

Methods: data on registered medical imaging equipment were retrieved from the database of the Nuclear Regulatory Authority and analyzed. The equipment/population ratio was mapped out graphically for the 16 regions of Ghana. Comparison of the equipment/population ratio was made with the situation in other countries.

Results: six hundred and seventy-four diagnostic imaging equipment units from 266 medical imaging facilities (2.5 units/facility), comprising computed tomography (CT), general X-ray, dental X-ray, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) gamma camera, fluoroscopy, mammography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were surveyed nationally. None of the imaging systems measured above the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average imaging units per million populations (u/mp). The overall equipment/population ratio estimated nationally was 21.4 u/mp. Majority of the imaging systems were general X-ray, installed in the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions. The regional estimates of equipment/population ratios were Greater Accra (49.6 u/mp), Ashanti (22.4 u/mp), Western (21.4 u/mp), Eastern (20.6 u/mp), Bono East (20.0 u/mp), Bono (19.2 u/mp), Volta (17.9 u/mp), Upper West (16.7 u/mp), Oti (12.5 u/mp), Central (11.9 u/mp), Northern (8.9 u/mp), Ahafo (8.9 u/mp), Upper East (6.9 u/mp), Western North (6.7 u/mp), Savannah (5.5 u/mp) and North-East (1.7 u/mp).

Conclusion: medical imaging equipment shortfall exist across all imaging modalities in Ghana. A wide inter-regional disparity in the distribution of medical imaging equipment exists contrary to WHO´s recommendation for equitable distribution. A concerted national plan will be needed to address the disparity.

Keywords: Diagnostic radiology; Ghana; equipment; medical imaging; population ratio.

Copyright: Bright Kwadwo Bour et al.

MeSH terms

Diagnostic Equipment* / standards
Diagnostic Equipment* / statistics & numerical data
Diagnostic Equipment* / supply & distribution
Diagnostic Imaging* / instrumentation
Diagnostic Imaging* / statistics & numerical data
Fluoroscopy / instrumentation
Ghana / epidemiology
Health Equity* / statistics & numerical data
Health Facilities* / statistics & numerical data
Health Facilities* / supply & distribution
Healthcare Disparities* / statistics & numerical data
Humans
Mammography / instrumentation
Radiography / instrumentation