The Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine has agreed to support the World Health Imaging Alliance in its campaign to deliver thousands of sustainable diagnostic digital imaging systems to developing communities around the world.
As the two groups work to identify specific initiatives, SIIM has appointed former Board Member George Bowers to serve as the organization’s liaison to WHIA. Furthermore, Janice Honeyman-Buck, PhD, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Digital Imaging, will assist WHIA in editing Diagnostic Imaging in the Community: A Manual for Clinics and Small Hospitals. This text is a primer on the installation and application of diagnostic imaging in first referral hospitals in developing countries.
“According to the World Health Organization, two-thirds of the world’s population has little or no access to basic diagnostic x-ray services, which are an essential component of primary health care delivery,” said WHIA’s Chief Executive Officer, Ivy Walker. "WHIA’s vision is to facilitate the deployment of these life saving digital medical imaging systems to hospitals, health clinics and other medical facilities in underserved communities. With the assistance of SIIM, we are one step closer to making this vision a reality."
The World Health Organization estimates that there is a need for one diagnostic imaging system for every 50,000 people.
