Prime Highlights:
Surrey Memorial Hospital introduces a $3.3-million mobile MRI unit to ensure continuous diagnostic services during ongoing construction of advanced MRI scanners.
The mobile unit, housed in a 15-metre trailer behind the hospital’s Critical Care Tower, will provide uninterrupted access to essential imaging services.
Key Background:
Surrey Memorial Hospital has introduced a state-of-the-art $3.3-million mobile magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) unit, ensuring uninterrupted access to critical diagnostic services for patients. This initiative comes as the hospital progresses with the construction of two advanced MRI scanners for its imaging department.
The mobile MRI unit, located in a 15-metre trailer behind the hospital’s Critical Care Tower, will provide essential services while the permanent MRI facilities are being developed. The new unit will help reduce wait times and improve patient access to life-saving diagnostic imaging, which is crucial for detecting conditions such as tumors, soft tissue injuries, and neurological and cardiac diseases. Surrey Memorial currently conducts over 10,000 MRI scans annually, underscoring the importance of this mobile addition.
“The mobile MRI unit is an invaluable resource for our community,” says Amna Shah, MLA for Surrey City Centre. “It will help ensure that there are no disruptions to diagnostic services, allowing for timely, high-quality care during the ongoing construction.”
The GE Signa Voyager 1.5T MRI System in the mobile unit offers enhanced imaging capabilities, quieter operation, and shorter scan times, benefiting both adult and pediatric patients. The unit is expected to begin serving patients by late July, following completion of necessary construction, testing, and permitting.
“This new mobile MRI unit is a key step in ensuring uninterrupted access to diagnostic services as we continue to upgrade Surrey Memorial Hospital,” says Dr. Lynn Stevenson, interim president and CEO of Fraser Health. The MRI initiative is part of the broader $30-million modernization plan announced in June 2023, aimed at transforming health services at the hospital.
