Health equipment in Latin American hospitals
ECGs, ultrasounds, and X-ray machines are the most common medical devices found in Latin American hospitals, present in an estimated 83, 71, and 68 percent of hospitals in the region, respectively. ECG machines are used to measure the electrical activity of the heart and aid in the diagnosis and monitoring of certain heart conditions. Ultrasound and X-ray machines are diagnostic imaging devices and allow for more accurate clinical analysis of internal structures.Specialized medical equipment in the region more frequently includes other diagnostic imaging devices such as computed tomography (CT) scanners, mammography systems, and C-arms, found in 25, 19, and 12 percent of Latin American hospitals, respectively. Less commonly available devices include systems such as linear accelerators and robotic surgery equipment.
Significant differences between countries
In practice, the availability of these devices varies widely from country to country, and from category to category. As of 2022, for instance, Brazil had an estimated 29.99 CT scanners per million inhabitants, making it the country with the highest CT scanner density in the region, followed by countries such as Chile, Uruguay, and Belize. In contrast, the density of these systems in Haiti amounted to roughly 0.29. In the case of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners, Brazil, Chile, and Suriname led the ranking, while Colombia, Nicaragua, and Ecuador had the lowest density in the region.
