Medical Resonance Imaging (MRI) services at Canberra Hospital have been boosted with the recent installation of a new 3 Tesla (T) MRI machine.

The new machine will give Canberrans access to the latest medical imaging technology.

The extra power of the new MRI allows scans to be done at a greater level of detail. The time taken to complete scans can also be reduced, which improves the rate at which MRI scans can be processed and overall treatment times for patients.

This new 3T MRI machine comes following the recent installation of a new Computed Tomography (CT) scanner at Canberra Hospital and the expansion of medical imaging services in the community through the new Weston Creek Imaging Service.

The MRI replacement project is one of many infrastructure projects happening across the Canberra Hospital campus, including the Critical Services Building, the expansion of the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children, upgrades to Pharmacy and Medical Imaging services, and a new cancer research centre.

In the three months since the new Weston Creek Imaging Service opened, 1878 people have used the service instead of going to the Canberra Hospital, providing:

• 589 CT scans
• 464 ultrasounds
• and 825 x-rays.

The imaging service at the Weston Creek Community Health Centre provides a great connection to the Weston Creek Walk-in Centre and a better option for non-urgent patients to get CT scans, ultrasounds, and x-rays without needing to go to hospital.

Canberrans are reminded that consumers over the age of 16 with a referral from a GP, specialist or allied health professional can walk in to get an x-ray at the Weston Creek Imaging Service if an on-the-spot appointment is available.

However, for CT scans and ultrasounds patients will need to make an appointment through the Medical Imaging Service at Canberra Hospital, so they can work out if the scan is right for this service. To book, call (02) 5124 2159.

^{The new 3 Tesla (T) MRI Machine at the Canberra Hospital.}

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