Founding members and expert radiologists, Drs Shane Dorfman and Louis Sulman, launched their state-of-the-art Pinnacle Radiology medical facility at Melrose Surgical Estate in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
Pinnacle Radiology officially operates as Drs Sulman and Dorfman Inc.
Following years of dedicated research centred around radiology access care, the facility will render patient care services with an AI-driven SIGNA 3T (Tesla) Hero MRI machine.
Sulman noted that the R40 million private practice was a milestone in access to quality healthcare, as South Africans are burdened by overstretched healthcare costs.
“Our mission is to make world class radiology accessible,” said Sulman.
With the medical facility located at the economic heart of South Africa, Joburg is set to become the hub of medical innovation aimed at serving locals and the broader region.
“Historically, Johannesburg has lacked access to cutting-edge diagnostic tools. With this centre, we are proud to position the city as a leader in radiology for Southern Africa. Looking ahead, we believe Pinnacle Radiology will elevate patient care and inspire higher healthcare standards,” said Sulman.
Being the first of its kind in Africa, the SIGNA 3T Hero MRI device offers multiple AI technology features designed to improve patient and operational experience.
Compared to a 1.5T SIGNA Hero MRI, this new machine provides detailed high-resolution imaging, which enables accurate diagnosis.
Among other diseases, high-resolution imagery enables timely diagnoses and treatment of cancer, in particular prostate scans, which is cost-effective and saves lives of patients.
The machine can count demyelinating blocks, which look like dots on the MRI.
The SIGNA 3T MRI is an eco-friendly scanning machine that has a patient-centric design with Acoustic Reduction Technology (ART) in order to deliver a quieter and comfortable scanning experience.
Dorfman stated as founding members with Sulman, they intend to bring in radiology specialists that will add their expert value to the medical centre.
“You cannot just know everything about everything, and that is the same with radiology. So, what you need to have is special sub-specialist interest or formal fellowship training, and that’s the level of expertise we want to bring to the centre, which is what Louis and I are hoping to achieve,” he said.
Dorfman is a specialist in musculoskeletal and thoracic imaging, while Sulman holds 3-decade expertise in musculoskeletal MRI.
Despite being a rookie private radiology clinic, Pinnacle Radiology strives to provide affordable healthcare.
The centre’s healthcare mission aligns with the efforts outlined in the National Health Insurance (NHI) that plan to provide universal healthcare for society, and South Africa’s growing focus on healthcare infrastructure development.
“The establishment of this centre underscores our commitment to improving patient care through technological innovation. We are excited to contribute to the advancement of healthcare in SA and Johannesburg’s growing reputation as a centre for medical innovation,” said Dorfman.
Dorfman mentioned that the establishment of Pinnacle Radiology intended to unburden the pressure medical practitioners face in public health regarding patient care.
The medical centre offers personalised patient care by staff members, among other services.
“We have flexible scheduling for you, where you have short waiting times. The machine provides faster scanning times,” said Dorfman.
The Star