Hospital resumes MRI services, after some patients complain they were forced to pay for private tests

Persons requiring Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) services will
now be able  to have the test done at the Sir Lester Bird Medical
Centre, says Medical Director Dr. Albert Duncan, as the machine is
back up and running.
 
According to unconfirmed reports, the machine had been down for
more than a year, forcing those in urgent need of this service to seek
it at private labs on island and abroad.

Dr. Duncan says that, following a thorough review of the MRI and
ensuring that all the necessary maintenance and upgrades were
completed, the hospital is confident it will be able to provide the
public with the highest quality MRI services once again.
 
Reportedly, the equipment had been impacted by a faulty chiller
system, which, Dr. Duncan says, led to significant downtime.
 
He claims the hospital had been working feverishly to have the the
imaging unit fully functional since it provides crucial diagnostics for
medical professionals in their daily patient care.
 
The facility has come under significant and bitter criticism for the
length of time the machine was down – and the frequency with
which its equipment is out of service.

Some patients complain that they have had to travel as far as
Trinidad for tests, incurring other costs that include
accommodation, food and ground transportation.

They say that they were forced to “pay twice” for services they
expected from their contributions to the Medical Benefits Scheme.

Meanwhile, Dr. Duncan is expressing gratitude to members of the
public for understanding the difficulty the hospital faced over the
past few months.
 
“Your patience for the months to come while we recover and adjust
back to providing a full range of services will also be much
appreciated,” he says.
 
Dr. Duncan is already expecting that there will be a higher demand
for appointments initially, when the MRI machine goes into
operation.