Blanchardstown hospital to get new MRI scanner

Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown, Co Dublin is getting a new MRI scanner, it was announced this evening.

The Government said the addition should silence opposition critics who have claimed that services at the hospital could be downgraded.

Blanchardstown is currently the only major teaching hospital without an MRI scanner, and the new equipment will be installed before the end of the year.

It should result in savings for the HSE, since patients in need of a scan previously had to be transferred to other hospitals.

The Government said it will ensure that the machine is staffed.