Faster diagnosis of breast cancer is just one of the benefits of new, digital mammography equipment coming soon to Delta Hospital thanks to a hefty donation from the Delta Hospital Auxiliary.
The $700,000 machine will be able to provide images virtually instantly for doctors. And the information they will be looking at can be transmitted to sites across the Fraser Health region, putting a patient’s case before the eyes of specialists further afield.
Fraser Health spokesperson Roy Thorpe-Dorward said the introduction of the new equipment is being done across the region with machines already being placed in Surrey Memorial Hospital, Royal Columbian and Chilliwack and Peace Arch Hospitals which received them in March.
“They are being introduced as old equipment at those hospitals near the end of their useful life,” Thorpe-Dorward said.
No installation date has been set for Delta Hospital.
Elaine Canning, a past president of the Delta Hospital Auxiliary and now Lower Mainland Area Representative with the B.C. Association of Health-Care Auxiliaries, said it is vital to provide health care specialists with the most up to date equipment.
Over the life of Delta Hospital, the auxiliary has made significant donations to the facility, including $1 million to help fund the expansion of the emergency department.
In addition to offering quicker results, the new digital equipment will allow for better archiving of images, and eliminate the need for medical staff to be exposed to chemicals to develop the images on film.