Local resident waits for delayed MRI scan results as they are sent on safari
September 7, 2005 11:21 AM
A local resident had to wait 8 weeks for the results of an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan that was taken at the mobile scanner unit at Tameside Hospital, as the results were sent on safari to South Africa for testing.
Hazel Grove MP, Andrew Stunell said:
"A local resident was offered the opportunity to have an MRI test taken at a mobile scanner unit at Tameside Hospital. This is run by a private medical company but hired out by the NHS as NHS waiting lists for scans are so long. Initially she was told that she would have the results in 2 weeks. In the end she had to wait 8 weeks to receive the results, as the information from the scan was processed in South Africa."
Mr Stunell added:
"People deserve prompt testing and diagnosis when they are ill, and MRI scans are indispensable as they can be used for all parts of the body.
"It is a scandal that the NHS has allowed waiting lists for MRI scans to get so long they have to draft in companies that send the tests to South Africa.
"There is no need to send a scan to Africa on safari for interpretation. The whole situation is daft, and adds distressing time for patients waiting for their results."
ENDS
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