Viewing X-rays at Mavalane Hospital: For patients with cell phone cameras only | O País

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Viewing X-rays at Mavalane Hospital: For patients with cell phone cameras only | O País

3:34 CAT | 10 Feb 2021

Photo: O País

With no film to print X-rays at Mavalane General Hospital in Maputo, patients are having to use their cell phones to take pictures of the X-ray images and present these to doctors for diagnosis. Those who do not have a cell phone with a camera, have no diagnosis.

At the entrance of Mavalane General Hospital, people are milling around in search of assistance, but things change when one heads for the radiography unit.

There, patients are sitting down, some waiting to be called to the X-ray room and others to receive the results. A curious fact stands out: everyone is on their cell phone. At first sight it would seem that they’re seeking distraction from the long queues. But actually, they’re testing the quality of their devices, because obtaining the X-ray results is in fact dependent on having a mobile phone with a camera.

This is how it works. Upon entering the X-ray room, the patient hands over their cell phone (with a camera) to the technician, who takes a photo of the X-ray image, to be later presented to the doctor.

Patients who do not have a cell phone of the necessary quality borrow one from somebody else, as did the young man who borrowed that of the ‘O País’ reporter. The photograph now taken, it is sent via Bluetooth to the patient, thereby assuring the legibility of the X-ray.

“We will take this result to the doctor, and I believe he will be able to read it. I don’t know why they send us to take pictures. I came with a poor quality phone, and we took a picture of something very small. It’s complicated,” one agonised patient confided.

One of the ladies questioned by our reporter did not have a cell phone with a camera, and was consequently at risk of not getting her X-ray results. She phoned her husband, telling him to rush to the hospital.

“I already did the X-rays, but I need the phone to take the photo of the result and I don’t have a cell phone for that,” she told him. “Come quickly. I’m at the entrance next to the police station,” she explained.

In addition to the risk of misrepresenting the test results, the cell phone method risks spreading Covid-19, because the device passes from hand to hand.

‘O País’ established that Mavalane General Hospital had not been printing X-ray results for three months for lack of films. The same is true of the Matola Provincial hospital and the José Macamo General Hospital.

The director of the Provincial Hospital of Matola said that the lack of printed X-rays was the result of the X-ray service being digitised at the moment, during which time cell phone cameras were being used.

Maputo Central Hospital, the largest health unit in the country, has been experiencing a malfunction in its X-ray machine for at least two days, but, according to our source, the problem is now (this Tuesday) remedied. Everything is back to normal and, in addition to being printed, X-rays are being sent to doctors online.

The Health Directorate of Maputo City promised to respond to the alleged lack of film at health units under its jurisdiction by Wednesday. We’ll see.

By Dário Cossa

Source: O País