November 2, 2010 – Russia’s first domestically made computed tomography (CT) scanner has been installed and clinically validated at the Hospital of War Veterans in St. Petersburg, Russia. The device was made by Philips and Electron, a Russian medical equipment manufacturer.
The 16-slice CT scanner and its peripherals have all been produced at Electron’s production facilities in St. Petersburg. Its hardware and software for medical data storage and processing are tailored to the specific demands of Russian hospitals. For example, it is the first scanner with a Russian-language interface.
“We are very pleased that our hospital has been the first to use this advanced Russian-made CT scanner and we are fully satisfied with the results of the clinical studies,” says Evgeny Ageenko, head of the Hospital of War Veterans, St. Petersburg and honored doctor of the Russian Federation. “Until recently, we only had access to a 2-slice imported scanner, but now we have the opportunity to increase the capacity of our diagnostic CT procedures and significantly improve the quality of our clinical studies.”
Cardiovascular disease and cancer are now the biggest contributors to Russia’s mortality rate. Medical imaging systems, such as CT scanners, have become powerful tools used by doctors to diagnose and treat these diseases.
“I am convinced that our domestic production of advanced medical equipment will catalyze growth in the local medical components industry and contribute to further innovation in the Russian healthcare industry,” said Alexander Elinson, CEO of Electron. “It will also help to reduce Russia’s dependence on the import of healthcare equipment.”
Today, 15 percent of the high-tech components used in the CT scanner have been developed and produced locally in Russia. Over the next three years, the two companies hope to increase this proportion to 51 percent. In the future, they intend to introduce a 64-slice CT-scanner, high-end ultrasound systems and a domestically assembled MRI scanner.
For more information: www.philips.com, www.electronxray.com
