New theatre and imaging machine for Fremantle Hospital

19/11/00
People south of the river will benefit from increased services closer to home following a $3.5 million funding injection for an operating theatre and scanning machine at Fremantle Hospital.
Mr Day said the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine and operating theatre would be funded from Health's $40 million allocation resulting from the sale of Alinta Gas.
"The new MRI machine is the first to be located in a public hospital south of the river, and will prevent public patients from having to travel to the central metropolitan area," he said.
"Patients will benefit greatly from having this advanced medical technology in their own community."
Mr Day said MRI was used to produce high quality images of the inside of the human body.
"It is a safe, painless and non-invasive diagnostic examination for people suffering from acute illness.
"The new MRI unit will support Fremantle's existing speciality services, which include brain, bone, cancer and child health specialists, as well as heart, lung and vascular surgery."
Mr Day said the new theatre would mainly be used for orthopaedic surgery, however it would be designed so that it could also be used for general surgery.
"The new theatre will allow patients living south of the river to be treated closer to where they live and free up theatre space north of the river," he said.
Media contact: Carole Cowling 9213 6600