Practical use of medical equipment

Why can't CT scanners and other medical equipment be accessed in much the same way that a passport photo snapper might be accessed in a local supermarket? I am thinking that the answer will be along the lines of that they cost lots of money and a radiographer is needed to interpret the results. It still makes me wonder. In a technological age why are these machines still so expensive to produce? Why can't the process be automated? Imagine how many lives would be saved if these machines became portable enough to install in houses. If the cost of running them could be cut down to about 30,000 surely people would see it as an important investment to add on to a mortgage. Is this accessibility still a long way off, if ever? I tried to find out these answers for myself but I was a bit lost with the terminology. Exposure to radiation might be one hazard...Maybe someone here in a medical job could explain this to me?

[edit on 26-10-2004 by jw287]

Some have radioactive material, others are just massive in size and can't be just picked up at the local Costco or BJ's. CT scanners dominate most of a room and require much space. The technology is also rather exact and these machines require constant upkeep and quality checking. Cheap machines = cheap results. Also, one needs to not only be able to operate the machine safely, but interpret the results. With the kinds of things many diagnostic machines diagnose, it's best left to those that know a bit about medicine and the body. Some machines used also require a lot of energy, and also put out a lot of energy that isn't meant to be something we're frequently exposed to.

At work, we have an old beat up machine that analyzes blood and gives you cell counts, platelet counts, hemoglobin, and all sorts of fancy stuff. I can run my blood, and see when I'm getting sick by the rise in my white cells or see when I'm getting better or need to eat more iron rich foods. That sucker is no bigger than a 19 inch TV, and costs about $32K. It's expensive because of what it does, and even the supplies needed to run blood and the detergents are expensive. Not something meant for the individual consumer, but for many consumers to use through a medical facility.

It's amazing how much people *think* they know about their health and how their bodies work, and how things actually happen. A friend of mine once went to the dentist, and her teeth bled. She was appauled at how bad that was, and swore never to go back to the dentist again. He hurt her teeth!! Absolutely could not understand that her teeth bled because she wasn't brushing them and her gums were just short of infected.

Would it be too expensive to have annual check ups like going to the dentist? The dentist by mine is built into a normal suburban house and he has radiation warning signs on some of his doors. I bet that has a few thousand worth of equipment built in.

[edit on 26-10-2004 by jw287]