Media Release: BENDIGO COMMUNITY GETS $4 MILLION IMAGE BOOST

FROM THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH

DATE: Friday, April 14, 2006

BENDIGO COMMUNITY GETS $4 MILLION IMAGE BOOST

Patients in central and northern Victoria are now able to get state-of-the-art diagnosis close to home in Bendigo, instead of having to travel to Melbourne for treatment.

Health Minister Bronwyn Pike said a $4 million Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) unit would provide sophisticated imaging technology to the residents of Bendigo and beyond.

“Instead of having to travel to Melbourne, people in the Bendigo region can now get treated closer to their own communities, with their family and friends nearby,” Ms Pike said.

“The MRI unit is the most comprehensive and non-invasive way to produce images of the brain, spine, inside of bones and soft tissue areas, allowing doctors to clearly see diseased and healthy tissue when diagnosing patients.

“Accurate scanning reduces the need for invasive surgery, dramatically decreasing stress on patients and the risk of further complications.

“It has already made a huge difference to this community, serving an average of 10 patients each day since it became operational a few weeks ago.

“It is expected that the current demand will increase further as more medical practitioners make patient referrals and more patients access the new service.”

Ms Pike said that the MRI will also play an important role in Bendigo Health’s ability to train radiologists with the most current and technically advanced equipment.

“This machine will help develop the skills of existing radiologists and assist in both attracting and retaining radiologists to a rural area like Bendigo,” Ms Pike said.

“It will also strengthen Bendigo Health’s capacity as a renowned regional referral hospital, which currently has a referral base of more than 280,000 people covering a quarter of the State.

“The completion of the MRI unit adds yet another quality aspect to the raft of services currently provided in Bendigo, which includes radiology, pathology, pharmacy, the catheter laboratory and diagnostic cardiology.”

Ms Pike paid tribute to local members Jacinta Allan and Bob Cameron, who have both campaigned tirelessly to bring MRI services to Bendigo.

“I know Jacinta and Bob are passionate about the Government’s ongoing push toward ensuring more and more world-class health services are available in regional communities,” Ms Pike said.

“I congratulate them on the success of their lobbying effort.”