A $4.5 million MRI machine has been launched at Oceania Hospitals Private Limited.
It is the most advanced MRI machine in the country.
Speaking after the launch, hospital CEO Murgessan Pillay says the machine arrived in the country in November but the installation and magnetic shielding took some time.
He says the cost of accessing the service will range somewhere around $1,000 to well under $5,000, depending on the type of procedures or examinations that are required.
When questioned if Fiji has the capacity to maintain the machine, Pillay says they have biomedical engineers on the ground and the major support is through the preventive maintenance agreements they have with Siemens, the manufacturer which is provided out of Australia.
Meanwhile, Minister for Health, Doctor Atonio Lalabalavu has congratulated the hospital for launching the MRI machine.
He says it is the private sector that drives the economy so the Government’s partnership with the private sector will continue however, they will have to review some and see how best they can improve the partnership moving forward.
