An MRI machine, which will be a game changer for diagnostic services here in St Vincent and the Grenadines is expected to be on the ground and operational by year end.

Minister of Health, Wellness and the Environment St. Clair ‘Jimmy’ Prince made the announcement during the official handover ceremony for the brand-new CT Scan Machine on Thursday July 21, 2022.

The Minister said the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine will be procured through a donor foundation that has already formally agreed to provide the machine, and advanced plans for receiving are already afoot.

“We have already been making preparations to receive this very vital piece of equipment, and we are already receiving small pieces of related equipment to go with it” Prince explained.

The Minister noted that once MRI services can be accessed locally, the burden of air travel, accommodation and other related expenses will be eliminated, a welcomed prospect for the many persons requiring this service.

The MRI machine is designed to provide a more detailed scan of “inner organs (soft tissues) such as the brain, skeletal system, reproductive system, and other organ systems than is provided by a CT scan.”

There is also no radiation exposure with MRIs making it one of the safest diagnostic tools in medicine and will be an invaluable addition to the arsenal of radiological services available to Vincentians.

This is all part of the continuing expansion and upgrade of the diagnostic services being offered here in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Minister noted that the Ministry has already acquired a CT scan machine, a Fluoroscopy machine, in addition to the expansion of X-ray services to include the Levi Latham Health Complex, the Modern
Medical Complex and the Buccament Polyclinic. (API)