For the first time in Botswana history, a public hospital in the northern part of the country will have its own MRI scanner.
The Philips Achieva 1.5T Pulsar will be introduced to the Nyangabwe Referral Hospital of Francistown later this year.
The MRI scanner is a product from the Royal Philips Electronics Company. Nyangabwe has been referred to as one of the biggest hospitals in the country and it treats people from all corners of the country.
The announcement was made by the Chairman and CEO of Philips South Africa, JJ van Dongen, in an interview with The Telegraph.
“Philips wants to support Botswana in upgrading the country’s healthcare system. Advanced medical technologies like MRI’s can improve the hospital workflow by shortening exam times and leading to increased diagnostic confidence and a simpler patient and clinical experience overall,” said Dongen.
Dongen is in Botswana as he travels across Africa promoting health care, by way of his Cape to Cairo 2011 road show in which he raises awareness about how relevant health care and lighting solutions can improve the quality of life across the continent. 
From May 12, 2011 Philips started travelling through the heart of Africa meeting with key stakeholders from government agencies, NGO’s, local companies and hospitals in major cities along the African continent. ┬áThe road show will cover 12,000 kilometers in 62 days, visiting a total of 12 countries.
There are currently only two private hospitals that offer the MRI technology and they are both based in Gaborone. According to the Philips Company, patients had to travel over 400 kilometers to Gaborone to receive an MRI scan.
“The installation of the Philips Achieva scanner in Francistown will bridge geographical distances and provide healthcare to those sections of the society that currently don’t have access to advanced healthcare technology,” said the company.
According to Philips, the scanner comes with the power save feature that minimizes energy consumption and reduces the energy bill by up to 50 percent. It said that the scanner will enable clinicians to conduct a vast array of studies with a high level of quality and consistency not usually found in basic MRI systems at such a cost level.   
“We choose to introduce these healthcare initiatives to the countries that have strong ties with our company, Botswana is one of the countries that have been loyal to our brands for a long time,” said Dongen.
With only four years to go, he said that their healthcare is aimed at meeting some of the Millennium Development Goals.
