Diagnostic Radiologists
15 December 2016
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New MRI unit for Tzaneen the body. This is primarily used to create images of the nervous system including the brain and spinal cord. MediClinic Tzaneen’s radiology department is the only practice in the province with a Breast MRI Package which will offer breast scans for early detection of cancers and any other related ailments. “The opportunities that this machine holds for the Tzaneen community is very exciting,” explained Dr Hanief Moosa, Radiologist at Mediclinic Tzaneen. “An MRI is critically im-
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portant for early detection of a stroke too.” Tzaneen is earmarked to become a regional stroke centre and the addition of the MRI machine fast tracks that process. “The benefits of the MRI is already noticeable as it has attracted a neurosurgeon which is said to join the MediClinic Tzaneen team in the new year. When we are fully up and running, patients will no longer have to travel to Pretoria or Polokwane for their scans.” The MRI is scheduled to go online in January next year.
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cost of R1,4 billion. Should the GTM decide not to replace the network, but rather upgrade it, the project would be in excess of R600 million. Despite the urgency of the matter, the council initially allowed for no budget for the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 financial years except for an amount of R5 million allocated to a “non-specific” project, we understand from a source, is for high mast lighting in rural areas. This would place more strain on the network. We have since received information that the council has adapted the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) to allow for around R17 million and/or a loan of R20 million for the network for the new financial year. In the meantime the Letsitele and Letaba areas have suffer under continuous outages which in some cases last for days on end. Just this week alone saw five farms without power. The GTM is clearly struggling to keep up with the amount of outages which points to a network busy collapsing. There is also the problem of the availability of vehicles, particularly 4x4 vehicles, and qualified personnel to attend to call outs. “Last month a GTM worker was electrocuted because he did not follow the correct safety measures for working on high power lines,” a source said. “The media claimed it was because he was not supplied with protective gear, but that was not the case. He was working on a transformer while the line was live and that is what caused his death.” The power problems stretch as far as Eiland. Farmers, business owners and residents in those areas have resorted
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to buying generators and establishing a whatsapp group to help one another in case of power outages. “Without electricity we lose our livelihoods. Without power the pumps stop working and a day later you sit without water as well. A neighbour of ours lost an entire roost of Quail in an incubator because of these electricity disruptions and another (a manufacturer of steel products) is losing money because of orders that cannot be completed on time. How can anyone continue like this?” Bulletin has been in touch with GTM spokesperson Neville Ndlala and his response to the matter will be published next week. — Joe Dreyer: joe@bulletin.us.com
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Tzaneen and its surroundings is in big trouble. In May this year, Bulletin warned of a total blackout threatening this area, and the Greater Tzaneen Municipality’s apparently nonchalant approach to rectifying the problem. We have since learned that the problem might not be with the GTM’s reluctance as much as it may be with their electrical department’s skill to do so. The problem is much bigger than initially anticipated and would by all accounts require a complete overhaul of the current infrastructure to solve. According to an audit report on the GTM’s electrical infrastructure and the desperate situation facing the area, by the National Electricity Regulator of SA (Nersa), it is very clear that the absolute minimum has been done to maintain or improve the dilapidated electrical network which currently carries a replacment
Tzaneen will soon have its very own, operational, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner. The mammoth 6 tonne GE Signa Creator 1.5 Tesla MRI machine’s magnet was installed in the new radiology department wing at MediClinic Tzaneen earlier this month. The machine itself cost around R14-million. MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scanning is a medical investigation technique that uses an exceptionally strong magnet and radio frequency waves to generate images of
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MRI coming January 2017