What are endoscopic equipment?

Urologist Dr Osborne Liko explains that these are instruments used to look inside body organs. 

Gastroscope – is inserted from the mouth, and allows the doctor to directly look at one’s gullet (oesophagus), stomach and the upper part of the intestine.

Colonoscope – is inserted through the rectum and advanced to the other end of the large intestine.

Cystoscope – is inserted into your urethra (the tube that carries urine out of your bladder) and gently moved down towards your bladder.

Eight boxes filled with these equipment were donated to the Port Moresby General Hospital earlier this week by the People’s Republic of China.

A donation counted as a timely one by Dr Liko, also a chief surgeon at the hospital.

“Our people have been suffering for too long. When they hear about this, they will come,” he said.

Dr Liko said it was very hard to diagnose people early or do biopsy.

He said the main cause of problem which required the use of these equipment are peptic ulcers, problems of the oesophagus and pathology cancers.

Dr Liko says peptic ulcers are caused by buai, smoke, even taking aspirins, voltaren dosage for the smallest pain, or work stress.

“The list goes on – you can imagine the enormity of our people who suffer from this sort of conditions,” he said.

He further added that a real problem in surgery now is with the lower gastrointestinal track – cancer of the rectum, cancer of the colon.

“When patients present to us with this issue, they wait until late because we don’t have the equipment to look from the lower end up to diagnose,” he said.

These health conditions fall under urology.

The Urology Care Foundation describes the term as a part of health care that deals with diseases of the male and female urinary tract (kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra). It also covers the male reproductive organs.

As per the arrangement between the Government of PNG and the People’s Republic of China, the 9th medical team will be in the country to help advance skills in urology.

(An example of a gastroscope – Picture: Global Endoscopy)