TUSTIN, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--To provide lifesaving surgical care for sick children in one of the most underserved countries, 13 volunteers including 10 medical personnel from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center completed their second annual mission to Tanzania. Toshiba Medical, a Canon Group company, donated its ViamoTM portable ultrasound system during the mission at Bugando Medical Centre in Mwanza, Tanzania, serving about 13 million people in the region.
In partnership with Mending Kids, the Viamo assisted the radiologist and surgeons in completing life-changing corrective surgeries on pediatric patients with anorectal malformations and imaging their urinary tract and spinal cord, as well as training local staff to perform exams on their own for future patients with similar abnormalities. In November 2017, Cincinnati Children’s will be completing its third mission to Tanzania using Toshiba Medical’s Viamo ultrasound.
“We look forward to this mission in Tanzania so that we can educate and provide necessary resources in an underserved community,” said Dr. Steven J. Kraus, Division Chief, Fluoroscopy and staff pediatric radiologist, Department of Radiology, Cincinnati Children’s. “Imaging technology plays a critical role in making accurate diagnoses, but advanced imaging technology like Toshiba Medical’s Viamo ultrasound system is harder to come by in these parts of the world. This makes performing routine imaging in complex anatomic abnormalities like anorectal malformations, which occur in one in 5,000 live births, challenging to perform optimally.”
“Patient health is at the heart of everything we do at Toshiba Medical, and our goal is to provide flexible solutions to meet virtually any clinical need, even in challenging remote locations like Tanzania,” said Dan Skyba, director, Ultrasound Business Unit, Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. “Offering our portable Viamo ultrasound system for this much needed mission with Cincinnati Children’s and Mending Kids is just one example of how we partner with healthcare providers in delivering care to their remote patients.”
About Mending Kids
Mending Kids provides life-saving surgical care to children worldwide. Over the years, thousands of children have received corrective, transformational surgeries that have given them a chance at longer, healthier and happier lives. Most of the surgeries performed correct congenital heart defects, orthopedic abnormalities, severe scoliosis, colorectal anomalies and significant cranial facial deformities. Mending Kids’ work is accomplished through four core programs: Overseas Surgical Missions; US Hometown Missions; Individual Surgical Care; and Training, Research, and Innovation.
About Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc.
Toshiba America Medical Systems, a Canon Group company headquartered in Tustin, Calif., markets, sells, distributes and services radiology and cardiovascular systems, including CT, MR, ultrasound, X-ray and interventional X-ray equipment. For more information, visit Toshiba Medical’s website at www.medical.toshiba.com.
About Toshiba Medical
Toshiba Medical offers a full range of diagnostic medical imaging solutions including Ultrasound, CT, X-Ray, and MR, across the globe. As of December 2016, Toshiba Medical became a member of the Canon Group. In line with our continued Made for Life philosophy, patients are at the heart of everything we do. Our mission is to provide medical professionals with solutions that support their efforts in contributing to the health and wellbeing of patients worldwide so that together our industry-leading solutions deliver an enriched quality of life.
