Philips Medical Systems awarded the contract to provide both the MRI scanner and the bespoke building.  

Work is on-going with the supplier to agree a timeline for installation. At present we expect that with the various enabling works required on the hospital site, and the time taken to fabricate the bespoke building, that the service will be in place by mid-2024.

Lincoln Carroll, Chair of the Endowment Committee for NHS Shetland said: “I want to take this opportunity again to thank the people of Shetland for all the support and fund raising undertaken over the last few years to make having an MRI scanner in Shetland a reality. The funding raised by the community and through significant individual donations will be used to purchase the MRI scanner which we expect to be in operation in Shetland from mid-2024. As the chair of the Endowment Committee, it is a pleasure to finally be able to gift the appeal funding to NHS Shetland to start the procurement of the MRI scanner.”

Kathleen Carolan, Director of Nursing & Acute Services said: “Having a permanent MRI scanner in Shetland is going to make such a difference to patient care. We have already started work to prepare the hospital site for the new MRI scanner to be installed, and our clinical and technical teams are working with Philips Medical Systems to manage the project so that we have an MRI scanning service up and running as soon as it is safe to do so.