The Computerized Tomography (CT) scanner at Kamuzu Central Hospital has been down for almost 10 months as it requires a replacement part that costs about K42 million.
According to information reaching Malawi24, hospital authorities are struggling to source funds to fix the scanner. 
At Kamuzu Central Hospital which is a referral hospital that also caters for Northern Region, almost 65 people need to use the machine every day but for the past 10 months the patients have been referred to private hospitals which charge at least K120,000 per scan.
The scanner is useful for obtaining images of soft tissues, the pelvis, blood vessels, lungs, brain, abdomen, bones.
A CT scan is often the preferred way of diagnosing many cancers, such as liver, lung, and pancreatic cancers.
Its image allows a doctor to confirm the presence and location of a tumour, its size, and how much it has affected nearby tissue.
A scan of the head can provide important information about the brain, for instance, if there is any bleeding, swelling of the arteries, or a tumour.
A CT scan can reveal a tumour in the abdomen, and any swelling or inflammation in nearby internal organs. It can show any lacerations of the spleen, kidneys, or liver and it detects abnormal tissue.
Bone diseases, bone density, and the state of the patient’s spine can also be assessed by a CT scan which provides vital data about injuries to a patient’s hands, feet, and other skeletal structures.
