The WA Government has committed more than $6.3 million to build an MRI suite at Kalgoorlie Health Campus, as part of the 2019-20 State Budget.
An MRI in the Goldfields was an important election commitment for the WA Government and this announcement ensures that commitment will be delivered.
The funding boost means vital medical imaging will now be available locally and is consistent with the Federal Government’s commitment to provide a Medicare eligible MRI licence for the service once it is available.
Currently, patients from Kalgoorlie and the surrounding Goldfields region are required to travel almost 1,200 kilometres on a round trip to Perth to access MRI services.
A suitable location to house the technology has already been identified at Kalgoorlie Health Campus by the WA Country Health Service. Schematic design and comprehensive planning will now commence, with construction expected to follow in the first half of 2020 and the MRI to be operational less than a year later.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a medical imaging procedure that uses powerful magnets and radio waves to take very detailed pictures inside the human body.
Source: WA Government