Bringing digital X-
ray technology to
those in need

A mother and her child in one of the remote clinics
in Guatemala.

By Carlos Frum, past governor of District 6440
and a member of the Rotary Club of Northbrook,
Illinois, USA

The line went around the block and people were
still coming! It was 2003 and my first trip to
Guatemala as a translator for a medical team.
Upon my return, I realized that we have no
idea in the United States how difficult it is for
people in poor countries to get basic health
care. The World Health Organization (WHO)
estimates that two thirds of the world’s pop-
ulation doesn’t even have access to simple
X-rays.

After several more trips, I resolved, with
two other past governors from Rotary Dis-
trict 6440, to do something about this.
Bruce Baumberger, Pam Kerr, and I start-
ed a project to install 29 digital X-ray sys-
tems in remote clinics in Guatemala. We
called it HealthRays™.

Children at a remote clinic.

Sending X-rays over the Internet
The Ministry of Public Health and Social
Assistance (MOH) of Guatemala and the
Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO) signed a memorandum of coop-
eration with us and we formed a commit-
tee in 2011.

The problem in Guatemala is not the
lack of equipment, but the absence of
trained radiologists to serve these clin-
ics. The answer is to send the X-rays
via the Internet to physicians located
far from the remote clinics, who can
then read and interpret the images.
Years ago, the memorandum assist-
ed in the development of a simple
digital X-ray system that can be ope-
rated by high school graduates with
only two weeks of training.

What attracted me most about
this project was that although
it was difficult, it had the potent-
ial to help millions.

And we are making headway!  We
have funding for nine units, opera-
tional teams in the United States
and Guatemala, and a list of sup-
porters that continues to grow.

Looking back, what attracted me
most about this project was that
although it was difficult, it had
the potential to help millions.

Pilot installation
We started with a ‘pilot’ installation
instigated by a Rotary member with
experience in radiology. Parts came
from two suppliers and the unit was
installed by a third. It took us four
years to complete, but we learned
a lot!

Currently our system, with soft-
ware, installation, spare parts,
and warranty comes from a single
source and the manuals are in Span-
ish. The Pan American Health Organ-
ization trains operators and, with lo-
cal Rotary members, ensures the clin-
ics are upgraded to the appropriate
standards by the public health ministry.

We have participation from 14 districts
in Guatemala, Taiwan, Venezuela, and
the United States. The future looks
bright! We are still looking for partners
– visit our website, watch our video,
and contact us if you would like to help.