Uttarakhand Health Minister Surendra Singh Negi will inaugurate the bone marrow densitometer machine at the Doon Hospital on Saturday. The modern machine would help in the treatment of orthopedic and other patients.The Principal Medical Superintendent (PMS) of Doon hospital Dr RS Aswal informed that the machine would become operational from Saturday. He added that the digital X ray facility too would be formally inaugurated by the health minister.
The hospital has installed the bone marrow densitometer in department of radiology of the hospital. The department has conducted many test runs on the Ultra modern machine which was installed by a USA based company Hologic for which the department of health and family welfare has spent an amount of Rs 30 lakhs.
The hospital authorities informed that machine can treat 15-20 patients in a day. The operation of the machine would be a big relief for the orthopedic patients who visit the hospital. Bone densitometry is a radiological test to detect the early stages of osteoporosis, a disease in which the bones of the patient weaken, often as a result of the aging process.
Doctors are of the view that early detection helps in better treatment of the diseases. Bone densitometry machines use x-rays to measure the amount of calcium (bone density) in the bone and compare it to what it should be. The higher density of calcium in the bone is considered good by physicians. The machine also detects extra flab on one’s body as it depicts the amount of fat and its correct ratio.