Best CT Scanner for Kenyan Market. GE or Phillips CT Scanner?
Best CT Scanner in Kenya: Buy GE or Phillips CT Scanner?
At GM Medical, we get asked this question a lot. What CT scanner is the best; GE CT Scanner or Phillips? While Philips have been in Kenya and Africa for a long time, GE is proving to be a real threat to Phillips CT Scanners especially in East African market. Recently, GE capital has introduced attractive financing options through Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB), making it even easier to own a GE CT Scanner. However, the devil is in the details.
Advantages of owning a GE CT Scanner over a Phillips CT Scanner in Kenya.
GE CT scanners are everywhere around the world, not just in some regions. Philips CT Scan Machine is VERY hard if not impossible for most engineers to work on without a service key and almost impossible to get any documentation. Simply, only Phillips engineers can repair or upgrade a Phillips CT scanner. GE CT Scanner is really easy to repair, upgrade or find documentation and they have all their AIAT documentation online.
GE CT Scanners are air cooled, which is a big draw particularly in warmer climates. Air-cooled equipment doesn’t require a chiller, which is another piece that requires upkeep. While high-end Phillips CT Scanners have air-cooled options, majority of entry-level CT Scanners especially for African market have a Chiller.
GE CT Scanners does not have the Password issues that a lot of other OEMs have. Phillips is notorious with this. Password issues may seem minor, but can be a major headache depending on what they are needed for. Some Phillips even limit the ability for tube installation, software reloads or other basic Engineering functions.
The X-ray tube replacement costs are considerably less on GE CT Scanners due to the aftermarket production by companies like Varian and Dunlee. Since tubes have to be replaced regularly this can be a significant cost.
If you compared 16 slice option on both manufacturers, GE X-Ray generator generates 100kW while Phillips generates 60kW. This makes GE have lesser exposure time to do the same job as Phillips competitor. This means lesser radiations exposure to the patient. The key to radiation exposure is TIME.
You can find a used GE CT Scanner much easier than a Phillips. Why? USA is the biggest market for CT Scanners and most medical equipment with 85% of the market held by GE. This means you can save much more money with a GE than a used Phillips. Supply & demand rule is a no brainer.
Advantages of buying a Phillips CT Scanner
There is an old adage that says, less is more. Phillips CT scanners are cheaper than GE CT Scanners. You spend much less owning s new Phillips compared to GE but you may end up spending much more with a Phillips based on facts above
Phillips CT scanners are better supported in Kenya than GE, though GE is still at childhood in this region. You're more likely to find a Phillips engineer in Kenya than a GE engineer.
Summary:
Most Kenyans are "price royal" than "quality/Brand royal". While Phillips is an outstanding CT scanner, the aggressive penetration of GE in the Kenyan market will force Phillips to change it's old unfriendly habits. New Phillips CT Scanner is a cheaper equipment upfront but much more expensive in the long run and hard to find secondary market repair parts. GM Medical specializes on used and refurbished medical equipment primarily from USA. Let us know how we can help you make a better option on your CT Scanner purchase
