One of the last acts of Wellington's district health board was approving an upgrade to scanning as the regional hospital struggles with very long waiting lists.
Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The board has approved a $10 million third stage to a radiology upgrade to boost MRI, CT and ultrasound scanning.
Once it is done, it won't have any equipment that is more than four years old, it said.
Many of its machines are 15 years old now.
It aims to get its first-ever biplane angiography machine operating by next month after a two-year delay due to Covid-19.
As well as both angiography labs, the third stage is planned to include an update of the fluoroscopy unit, two cardiac catheter labs and a cardiac pacing laboratory.
"Throughout the programme we will ensure that we can continue to provide essential services," director of provider services Joy Farley said.
"The phasing of the project has been carefully managed to ensure we obtain the maximum usability within the available space while also ensuring that the services using that area can continue with minimal interruption.
"Our interventional staff - Radiology SMO, medical imaging technologists, interventional nurses and vascular surgeons - eagerly anticipate the start of training and orientation with the latest imaging equipment."
The clinical space and mobile equipment storage will also be improved, she said.
