Portable MRI scanner rented to avoid backlog

A portable MRI scanner, which arrived on Friday, will start being operated in the next few days while the scanner at St Luke's is transferred to Mater Dei Hospital.

The portable scanner, which will enable radiographers to continue carrying out MRI scans during the transfer, was rented out for the next 10 weeks, the director general for health care services, John Cachia, said.

The portable scanner will enable health professionals to continue providing the service while the move is under way. It also avoids creating a backlog by stopping the service for a number of weeks.

Between 18 and 20 MRI scans are carried out daily, the principal radiographer in charge of the MRI suite, Joseph Castillo, said.

The MRI suite consisted of two rooms in a compartment at the side of the Karin Grech wing of St Luke's Hospital.

It was manned by seven radiographers and had arrived from France some years ago.

An MRI uses powerful electromagnets, radiofrequency waves and a computer to produce well-defined images of the body's internal structures.