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Reopening of new and most advanced imaging facility

UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL THURSDAY, 18 MAY 2017, 00.01AM NZST

Pacific Radiology Partners with Siemens Healthineers in Rebuild of St George’s Imaging Facility

Rebuild delivers latest medical innovations including the country’s most advanced Siemens CT scanner and first fully robotic X-ray system, as part of ongoing efforts to restore Christchurch

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand, May 18, 2017 - Six years on from the 2011 earthquake that shattered Christchurch and local communities, Pacific Radiology Group today opened the doors of its new and enhanced imaging facility at St George’s Hospital. The launch follows extensive redevelopment efforts, which saw the deployment of two state-of-the-art medical imaging systems from Siemens Healthineers, aimed at providing patients and healthcare professionals with ease of access to first-class capabilities.

The two technologies – SOMATOM Drive, the most advanced Siemens CT scanner in New Zealand today, and Multitom RAX, the country’s foremost installation of the world’s first twin robotic X-ray machine – will propel St George’s to become the most advanced imaging hospital nationwide.

St George’s was one of many facilities directly affected by the earthquakes. While there were plans to refurbish the hospital prior to this, the full impact of the disaster meant a complete rebuild was essential. In addition to repairing and rebuilding, the redevelopment also paves the way for the future of healthcare for Christchurch and the wider New Zealand community.

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“The rebuild has brought with it a new lease on life for St George’s and the city. At its core, it will provide patients with the best possible care via far greater imaging capabilities,” said Dr Ross Keenan, Radiologist and Director at Pacific Radiology. “Further to that, we believe the new facility will put Christchurch back on the map for health professionals looking to work with the latest in medical technology, as opposed to turning to larger New Zealand cities like Auckland and Wellington, or even towards Australian shores.

“The new installations provide enormous diagnostic capabilities and complement the full suite of imaging solutions within the wider Group. We look forward to continue working closely with Siemens to discover potentially new and innovative imaging techniques, to ultimately benefit the community,” he added.

Driving the next frontier of healthcare in Christchurch

The installations are expected to bolster Christchurch’s healthcare advancements. SOMATOM Drive, for one, offers cardiac CT capability, which allows radiologists to image virtually patients of any size, heart rate, or heart rhythm –all limitations with older systems.

On the other hand, Multitom RAX brings with it robust diagnostic versatility, providing a fluoroscopic functionality as well as enabling true 3D weight-bearing, erect imaging – the latter delivering potential benefits for spinal surgical planning.

“As the ageing population and global changes in diet and physical activity continue to give rise to new and more complex diseases, technology can be a powerful tool in boosting prevention, early detection and treatment,” said Lauren Greig, General Manager for New Zealand at Siemens Healthineers. “Improving patient care via clinical excellence and operational efficiency lies at the heart of what we do at Siemens.

“We are delighted to have partnered with Pacific Radiology in the redevelopment of their St George’s facility, and are confident the reopening will not only provide patients with better care but enable and fuel increased focus on research and development both locally and nationally,” she added.

Features at a glance:
- SOMATOM Drive
• Most advanced Siemens CT scanner in New Zealand with highest specifications
• Multi-energy and Dual Source technology to boost diagnostic accuracy and drive precision
• Extremely low dose scans, which is of most benefit to paediatric patients
• 3D & 4D cinematic imaging capabilities
• Ultra-fast scanning capabilities
• Pivotal in lung cancer detection screening
- Multitom RAX
• First installation of world-first multipurpose twin robotic X-ray machine in New Zealand
• True 3D weight bearing capabilities to enable imaging of a wider range of patients
• Robotic Advanced X-ray (RAX) technology delivers high asset utilisation and new clinical insights, whilst reducing patient positioning and transfers
• Hybrid nature of the system provides users with not only conventional radiographic imaging but also cross-sectional CT imaging

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