Thanks to a funding grant, the Kelowna General Hospital can now host patients from throughout the Interior who require a gastrointestinal ultrasound, diagnostic procedure that previously required patients to travel either to Vancouver or Calgary.
“Endoscopic ultrasound is a marriage of conventional endoscopy to ultrasound technology. It allows us to look at the gastrointestinal tract in greater detail because we’re able to put the ultrasound within 2 or 3 cm of areas such as the pancreas,” explained Dr. Carla Nash. “This results in faster diagnosis and safer, more effective treatment. And the procedure is comfortable for patients, all of whom will experience little or no pain afterwards and return home the same day.”
The new equipment was purchased thanks to a $250,000 donation made to the KGH Foundation from the Colin and Lois Pritchard Foundation.
“It’s really important to have good medical care and have it close at hand,” said Colin Pritchard. “We’re very pleased, our family, to be a part of this great, great hospital.”
“The KGH Foundation’s goal is always to take health care from a provincial standard to truly world class,” added Foundation CEO, Doug Rankmore. “This is a new and welcome addition to IH – it will prevent patients from traveling and advances patient care.”
The KGH Foundation is a charitable organization that fundraises for state-of-the-art equipment aimed at improving the patient care experience at Kelowna General Hospital and its associated facilities.
