WAKISO, Uganda – Kisubi Hospital has commissioned a new 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner, adding advanced imaging capacity to its services and reducing the need for some patients to travel to Kampala or seek specialised diagnostic services elsewhere.
The Siemens MAGNETOM Flow Plus system was commissioned and blessed alongside the renovated Caritas Ward at Our Lady of Consolata Kisubi Hospital during a ceremony attended by Kampala Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere and Health Minister Dr. Chris Baryomunsi.
The hospital describes the scanner as an AI powered MRI system and says it is the first of its kind in East Africa. That regional distinction is a claim made by the hospital and Uganda Catholic Medical Bureau and should be understood in that context.
The machine is expected to strengthen Kisubi’s ability to diagnose conditions affecting the brain, spine, joints, muscles and other soft tissues. MRI uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images without exposing patients to ionising radiation.
What makes the MRI different
The MAGNETOM Flow platform combines conventional MRI imaging with artificial intelligence tools designed to improve image reconstruction and simplify the scanning process.
Siemens Healthineers says its Deep Resolve technology uses deep learning to improve image quality while allowing faster image acquisition. Its myExam Companion system also provides automated and guided support during MRI examinations.
The scanner also uses DryCool technology, which significantly reduces the amount of liquid helium required to cool the magnet. Siemens says the system requires about 0.7 litres of helium over the lifetime of the magnet, compared with more than 1,000 litres typically associated with conventional MRI systems. It also does not require a conventional quench pipe.
That has practical implications for hospitals. Lower helium requirements can reduce the logistical and operating demands associated with maintaining an MRI unit, while the system’s design can also make installation easier.
Siemens says the technology is designed to support a wide range of examinations, including neurological, cardiac, oncology and musculoskeletal imaging.
A wider investment in Kisubi Hospital
The MRI commissioning was part of a broader development at the Catholic founded hospital.
The ceremony also marked the opening of the renovated Caritas Ward, an 80 bed private maternity and special care facility, as well as other improvements to the hospital’s services. Minister Baryomunsi said the developments represented an investment in private not for profit healthcare.
Archbishop Ssemogerere said the investment reflected the Catholic Church’s continued commitment to healthcare and the need to equip health facilities with modern technology capable of improving patient care.
The new MRI is also expected to serve patients beyond Kisubi and the immediate Entebbe area. Hospital officials have pointed to its potential to serve people from the wider Entebbe corridor and neighbouring districts who may otherwise have to travel to major referral facilities for advanced imaging.
Kisubi Hospital has been operating the MRI service since the installation of the system, with the recent ceremony formally commissioning the equipment.
The hospital says its investment is aimed at making advanced diagnostic services more accessible while strengthening the capacity of faith based health facilities to complement Uganda’s public healthcare system.
For patients, the significance of the new equipment is less about the technology itself and more about what it can provide: faster and more detailed imaging that can help doctors identify disease, assess injuries and guide treatment without requiring patients to travel far for specialised scans.
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