£7.5m bill for MRI scanner blow to Downe

£7.5m bill for MRI scanner blow to Downe

12 October 2022

THE cost of a proposed new MRI scanner for the Downe Hospital has rocketed to almost £7.5m.

Initial cost projections predicted the ultra-modern scanner would cost in the region of £4m, but it has now been confirmed that the bill has almost doubled.

The South Eastern Trust – which is responsible for the Downpatrick hospital – has always insisted that securing a new scanner for the Downe was one of the organisation’s capital priorities and that there was a strong case to provide one locally.

Two years ago, the cost of the new MRI scanner was estimated at between £3m and £4m with the huge price increase being blamed on the current volatility of the price of materials.

Trust officials believe that adding a high-tech scanner to the range of services the Downpatrick hospital already provides would be good news for the Downe, with the new equipment housed within the existing building or in a small extension that would have to be constructed.

During a visit to the hospital in March, Stormont health minister Robin Swann was lobbied by senior health trust staff to help secure the new scanner for the Downe where a current CT scanner was recently upgraded to provide enhanced state-of-the-art imaging facilities.

There are currently two MRI scanners at the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald with local health chiefs keen to see a third provided at the Downe at a time when an increasing number of clinicians are requesting an MRI scan for patients.

Trust officials say they believe the case for the new scanner at the Downe “speaks for itself” and that the current two in operation at the Ulster hospital are struggling to cope with demand.

Confirming he has been informed by the health trust that the estimated cost of the proposed new MRI scanner at the Downe has significantly increased, Mr Swann explained that his ability to plan strategically is being “significantly impaired by the ongoing budgetary uncertainty”.

He also confirmed that once the new scanner project becomes affordable within his Department’s capital budget, the South Eastern Trust will be invited to submit a business case.

The minister was responding to South Down MLA Patrick Brown who had asked for an update on the proposal to provide a new MRI scanner at the Downpatrick hospital.

Acknowledging the wider pressures on the health system, Mr Brown said the health service is facing “serious issues due to budget restrictions and staffing shortages”.

He continued: “Staff at the Downe Hospital and right across our health service are incredible, but they are not being backed up by long-term and strategic investment.

“The DUP is playing down the need for an Executive and Assembly but this is a very real example of the out-workings of this impasse. Minister Swann has openly acknowledged that the Department’s ability to strategically plan is being hindered by the uncertainty caused.”

Mr Brown said an MRI scanner was a necessity for the hospital and the people it serves. 

He added: “It would expand diagnostic capacity and demonstrate the commitment of the South Eastern Trust to the future of the Downe. 

“I am currently seeking further detail around the breakdown of the new costs and will continue campaigning to ensure this investment is made.”

Downpatrick councillor Cadogan Enright said the Downe was crucial to the people of South Down they wanted to see further investment made in its services.

“A new MRI scanner at the Downe hospital would be an important part of this investment,” he added.

Hospital campaigners are also keen to see the new scanner in operation at the Downe to provide a regional diagnostic service.