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Sinn Féin MLA Michelle O’Neill officially opened the new £4million MRI Unit at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children today.

The Health Minister said:

“As Minister for Health, I am strongly committed to protecting and improving the quality and safety of health and social care services.

“This MRI scanner has been a long time in planning and I am delighted to see it is now up and running.

“Since the scanner became fully operational earlier this year 1,448 children have been scanned, roughly 30 children per week, which will ease the pressure on the Royal’s scanners.

“Waiting lists for paediatric MRI have also been greatly reduced since it became operational.”

Ms O’Neill continued:

“I would like to thank all those who have helped to raise the funds that have enabled this MRI scanner to be installed in the children’s hospital. 

“I am aware that the fund raising campaign took place over a number of years. This is a really good example of how our communities, the third sector and our health service can all work together to achieve better outcomes for our people, especially children.

“We must continue to make the health and well-being of people here better. We need to work together to deliver the best possible health outcomes for the people we serve and to tackle the inequalities which exist.”