MRI scanner

The director and chief executive officer of St Philip Hospital in Sta Venera has taken exception to the renting by the government of a portable MRI scanner from abroad for a period of some 10 weeks (February 1). This is intended to provide an essential scanning service from inside Mater Dei Hospital while the hospital's own scanner is being installed.

The reason given by Dr Portelli for his objection is that "there are two excellent MRI scanners in the private sector which could easily have provided the required MRI service to government patients". What Dr Portelli does not say is that these are not portable scanners and could not have provided the service from inside Mater Dei Hospital.

The location of MRI scanners within the same hospital, housing the surgical services of whatever type that may be necessary to deal with the emergencies presented by a patient referred urgently to hospital, is in the supreme interest of the patient. It is an accepted and widely acknowledged fact that the best acute general hospital locally available is Mater Dei Hospital.

Perhaps as an entrepreneur, Dr Portelli may have had in mind the private provision of a rented portable MRI from abroad, at a price.

Whatever was contemplated, it is for all to see that Health Minister Louis Deguara acted correctly, putting the interest of the patient and the taxpayer before that of our medical entrepreneur.