The Isle of Man’s new MRI scanner arrived at Noble’s Hospital yesterday (Thursday).

The Siemens 3Tesla MRI scanner arrived in the island on Tuesday evening and was then transported to Noble’s Hospital where the buses had been rerouted and a bus stop moved to allow space for a large crane to lift it off the lorry.

It was manoeuvred into place in its new room through a large hole that had been made in the outer wall of the hospital.

Also arriving with it were the 2,000 litres of helium required to keep the magnet in the machine cool when it is in operation.

The room it sits in has been specially lined with copper to shield the MRI and prevent any corruption of the images. The MRI suite also has had ambient lighting installed which creates a relaxing, calming atmosphere for patients.

The machine cost £1.2 million and comes with ’in-patient experience, Innovision’, which means that patients can watch a choice of customised videos whilst undergoing a scan.

It will work alongside the hospital’s current MRI scanner to provide a full service to patients and increased capacity to cut waiting lists.

The new scanner was bought by the Henry Bloom Noble Healthcare Trust.

Terry Groves of the trust said: ’This fantastic upgrade of our MRI scanning capability is the final element in the hospital’s new 3D Cross Sectional scanning suite which gives our island a diagnostic capability unrivalled in all but the largest hospitals in the UK.

’Thinking of when Henry Bloom Noble and his wife Rebecca began supporting and providing healthcare to the people of the island, 130 years ago, they would marvel at what this amazing technology can do for us all today.

’As trustees we are delighted to have been able to finance the acquisition of this equipment making our radiology department a first division player in imaging and diagnostics.’

The new 3D scanning suite also has two of the latest Spectral CT scanners, bought by the Manx Breast Cancer Support Group and Mannin Cancers after raising the £1.5 million required.

They also paid to decorate and furnish the 3D scanning suite’s own reception area.

Henry Bloom Noble Healthcare Trust and the two cancer charities also jointly funded the £70,000 cost of a ’kitten’ scanner.

This is a much smaller version of the real thing which sits in the reception area. It allows children who might be nervous about going for a scan the chance to give a doll or a soft toy a ’scan’ and will help to reassure them.

The DHSC has paid for the major building works to reconfigure the existing radiography department and provide the separate suite with rooms for the new equipment and changing rooms for patients.

The completion of the new 3D scanning suite has come at an opportune time as hospitals in the UK are already struggling to cope with the backlog caused by Covid-19 and this could take many months to resolve.

Now these scans can be done at Noble’s Hospital without the need for patients to go across.

It will also help with the hospital’s ability to recruit top clinicians to work in the radiography department.

Radiologist Vanina Finocchi said: ’For us professionals, the better the equipment in the department the more appetite there is for people to come and work here. This is definitely going to give us a head start.’

She added: ’With this upgrade of the department we also are going to ask the North West School of Radiology to send us a registrar because now we can really offer a good opportunity for education.’