BBC NEWS
BBCi CATEGORIES   TV   RADIO   COMMUNICATE   WHERE I LIVE   INDEX    SEARCH 

BBC News UK Edition
 You are in: N Ireland  
News Front Page
World
UK
England
N Ireland
Scotland
Wales
Politics
Business
Entertainment
Science/Nature
Technology
Health
Education
-------------
Talking Point
-------------
Country Profiles
In Depth
-------------
Programmes
-------------
BBC Sport
BBC Weather
CBBC News
SERVICES
-------------
EDITIONS
Friday, 25 October, 2002, 13:35 GMT 14:35 UK
Scanner waiting list grows
There are plans to double the number of scanners in NI
There are plans to double the number of scanners in NI
Figures compiled by the BBC show there are nearly 3,000 people waiting for an MRI scan in Northern Ireland.

Some patients will have to wait for two years for the scan which can detect internal illness in any part of the body.

Even some cases, which have been classified as very urgent, will have to wait up to three months.

Some people will wait two years to be seen - and it is only after that that doctors will decide what the correct treatment for them should be.

Whatever the medical condition, the system is overwhelmed with too many patients waiting to be seen.

There are plans to double the number of MRI scanners in the province over the next 18 months.

However, some experts say that even after those new machines become available, there still won't be enough.

 WATCH/LISTEN
 ON THIS STORY
BBC NI's health correspondent Dot Kirby:
"Quite simply there are too many patients waiting to be seen"
See also:

01 Feb 02 | N Ireland
09 Nov 00 | Health
01 Jun 00 | N Ireland
04 Jan 01 | N Ireland
Internet links:


The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

Links to more N Ireland stories are at the foot of the page.


E-mail this story to a friend

Links to more N Ireland stories

© BBC ^^ Back to top

News Front Page | World | UK | England | N Ireland | Scotland | Wales |
Politics | Business | Entertainment | Science/Nature | Technology |
Health | Education | Talking Point | Country Profiles | In Depth |
Programmes