The only military treatment facility with military hospitalization and surgical capabilities in Kuwait upgraded to a new, state-of-the-art Computed Tomography scanner recently.

The 528th Hospital Center, 3rd Medical Command, replaced the Army’s last 16-slide CT scanner with a new, 128-slide CT scanner, because it was passed its lifecycle and unpredictable, according to Maj. Remy Ngwanyam, radiologist, 528th HC. The old scanner was unreliable and overheated easily, rendering it often unusable and resulting in patients being referred to host country hospitals to obtain needed CT scans, added Ngwanyam.

The CT scanner takes 3-dimensional images, helping providers quickly and efficiently detect injuries and disease, using multiple X-ray beams from different angles to acquire the high-quality, 3-D images.

Ngwanyam further explained how acquiring the new CT scanner will save the Army time and money, because they’ll no longer have to refer patients to hospitals in Kuwait. “It would take up to six hours for patients to make the entire trip to obtain a CT scan,” he said. 

As the only surgical center in country, the ability to use CT to guide surgical repair in emergency situations and conserve the limited two operating room beds is indispensable. 

Col. Tracy Ostrom, commander, 528th HC, appreciates the upgraded technology and how it will help them manage emergency care, and she is thankful to everyone who helped them acquire the equipment and install it.