GE Medical Systems Donates $6.5 Million in Ultrasound Systems to Improve Healthcare in Developing Countries.Business/Photo Editors NOTE TO MEDIA: Multimedia assets available First donations through Assist International to be made to African nations, Afghanistan Today GE Medical Systems, a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange : GE), announced the donation of more than 200 ultrasound systems, probes and accessories to Assist International, a non-profit humanitarian organization involved in donating and installing high-tech medical equipment in hospitals and clinics in developing countries. The donation is valued at $6.5 million. "Ultrasound systems are one of the items most requested by hospitals in developing countries because they are so versatile, portable and can be used for a variety of diagnostic purposes," said Robert Pagett, President of Assist International. "This generous donation from GE Medical Systems will directly benefit poor and needy patients throughout the world who would not normally have access to high-tech medical care." The ultrasound systems donated by GE Medical Systems can be used in a variety of diagnostic examinations such as abdominal imaging, obstetrics obstetrics (ŏbstĕ`trĭks), branch of medicine concerned with the treatment of women during pregnancy, labor, childbirth (see birth), and the time after childbirth. and vascular studies, to name a few. "Not long ago in Zanzibar, I witnessed a volunteer German doctor having to select a few children who would travel three hours by boat in order to receive an ultrasound scan ultrasound scan Noun an examination of an internal bodily structure by the use of ultrasonic waves, esp. for diagnosing abnormality in a fetus at a hospital in Dar es Salaam Dar es Salaam Largest city (pop., 1995 est.: 1,747,000), capital, and major port of Tanzania. Founded in 1862 by the sultan of Zanzibar, it came under the German East Africa Co. in 1887. , Tanzania," Pagett said. "There were many more kids who needed to go, but there were not enough funds for all of them to travel. These ultrasound systems will go to places such as Zanzibar where they will have a great impact on the quality of healthcare offered by the local hospital." "GE Medical Systems has a rich history of improving the lives of people through a variety of humanitarian projects in Third World countries," said Joseph M. Hogan hogan Dwelling of the Navajo Indians of Arizona and New Mexico. The hogan is roughly circular and constructed usually of logs, which are stepped in gradually to create a domed roof. , President and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of GE Medical Systems. "Assist International and its partners are recognized for their expertise at delivering high-demand technologies to medical facilities in third world countries to help patients in need." Assist International, located in the San Francisco Bay Area “Bay Area” redirects here. For other uses, see Bay Area (disambiguation). The San Francisco Bay Area, colloquially known as the Bay Area or The Bay , has been donating high-tech medical equipment to hospitals and clinics in third world countries since 1990. The organization has completed medical projects in over 20 countries including Romania, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Zambia, Vietnam, Turkey, and India. "Generally we receive donated medical equipment from hospitals that we refurbish re·fur·bish tr.v. re·fur·bished, re·fur·bish·ing, re·fur·bish·es To make clean, bright, or fresh again; renovate. re·fur to obtain `like new' condition," Pagett said. "We want to make sure that a hospital receives quality equipment that is in 100 percent working condition. The ultrasound units from GE are in perfect working order and there is no reason to refurbish. They are ready to be donated directly to hospitals that we have selected." Assist International will be working with various partners including International Aid, World Vision and Jefferson Ultrasound Research and Education Institute (JUREI) to distribute the ultrasound systems in a timely manner. "This equipment is ready for use and we want the equipment to benefit as many people as possible--as quickly as possible," said Ray Schmidt, Operations Director for Assist International. "The best way for us to do this is by working with other organizations to help distribute these units and also provide education on how to operate them." The first donation of ultrasound systems was made earlier this month to the Kigali Central Hospital in Kigali, Rwanda, and to the Omdurman Teaching Hospital in Omdurman, Sudan. Rwanda is still recovering from the genocide genocide, in international law, the intentional and systematic destruction, wholly or in part, by a government of a national, racial, religious, or ethnic group. that decimated that country in 1994. The government has asked for help in improving the quality of healthcare, and ultrasound is an excellent diagnostic tool that can have immediate impact on that nation's healthcare. The Kigali Central Hospital is the leading hospital in Rwanda and is the only medical training facility in that country. In August, Assist International will distribute additional ultrasound systems to hospitals in Afghanistan, where the need for diagnostic tools is great. "In a survey trip in April, we noticed doctors in Afghanistan having to diagnose and treat patients with limited equipment and resources," Schmidt said. "These ultrasound systems will greatly enhance the capabilities of these doctors, which will directly impact countless lives." Training on the ultrasound equipment is also a key component of the distribution program. "Obviously it isn't enough to donate a great piece of equipment if the recipient hospital doesn't have the doctors or technicians to properly operate the ultrasound or interpret the scans," Pagett said. "We will be working with Dr. Barry Goldberg Barry Goldberg (born 1941 in Chicago, Illinois) is a blues keyboardist. He played piano in the band supporting Bob Dylan during his 1965 'electrified' appearance at the Newport Folk Festival. , one of the world's leading ultrasound educators, to provide the necessary training to fully utilize the equipment." Goldberg is the director of JUREI at Thomas Jefferson University It began as Jefferson Medical College in 1824. On July 1, 1969 the institution officially became Thomas Jefferson University. The university is made up of three colleges:
"It's difficult to calculate how many lives will be positively impacted by this overwhelming donation from GE Medical," said Pagett. "But I do know that lives will be saved and healthcare will be improved for literally thousands and thousands of the world's poor and needy." About Assist International Assist International is a 501(c)(3) non-profit humanitarian organization based in Scotts Valley, Calif., that networks resources from the business world, service clubs, doctor and hospital groups, corporations and individuals with human needs throughout the world. Assist International is a nonsectarian, nonpolitical organization dedicated to relieving human suffering in developing nations by providing medical equipment and supplies, medical education and other relief supplies. For more information, visit the Assist International website at www.assistinternational.org. About GE Medical Systems GE Medical Systems is an $8 billion global leader in medical imaging, interventional procedures, healthcare services, and information technology. Its offerings include networking and productivity tools, clinical information systems, patient monitoring systems, surgery and vascular imaging, conventional and digital X-ray, computed tomography Computed tomography (CT scan) X rays are aimed at slices of the body (by rotating equipment) and results are assembled with a computer to give a three-dimensional picture of a structure. , electron beam tomography Electron beam tomography is a specific form of computed axial tomography (CAT or CT) in which the X-Ray tube is not mechanically spun in order to rotate the source of X-Ray photons. , magnetic resonance magnetic resonance, in physics and chemistry, phenomenon produced by simultaneously applying a steady magnetic field and electromagnetic radiation (usually radio waves) to a sample of atoms and then adjusting the frequency of the radiation and the strength of the , ultrasound and bone mineral densitometry densitometry /den·si·tom·e·try/ (den?si-tom´i-tre) determination of variations in density by comparison with that of another material or with a certain standard. , positron emission tomography positron emission tomography: see PET scan. positron emission tomography (PET) Imaging technique used in diagnosis and biomedical research. , nuclear medicine, and a comprehensive portfolio of clinical and business services. For more than 100 years, health care providers worldwide have relied on GE Medical Systems for high quality medical technology and productivity solutions. For more information about GE Medical Systems, visit our Web site at www.gemedical.com. Note: A Photo is available at URL URL in full Uniform Resource Locator Address of a resource on the Internet. The resource can be any type of file stored on a server, such as a Web page, a text file, a graphics file, or an application program. : http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/photo.cgi?pw.071502/bb13 |
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