One of two new state-of-the-art CT scanners has been activated at the Launceston General Hospital.
Health Minister Guy Barnett launched the new equipment during a visit to the hospital on Tuesday.
The Minster said the state government’s $2.6 million investment will provide better access to essential healthcare for locals.
“This [will provide] faster access to the health care that Tasmanians deserve and it’ll deliver the absolutely spot-on diagnosis that we need,” he said.
The new CT scanner will be used to detect a range of health conditions, including injuries, abdominal pain, heart disease and cancers.
A second machine is expected to come online in October, replacing the hospital’s single existing scanner.
Hospital chief executive Fiona Luthier said the new scanners will ‘improve patient outcomes’.
“We have state-of-the-art facilities, a calm room has been built to help keep patients calm while they’re undergoing their CT scanning and we now have state-of-the-art technology that will improve the outcome for our patients,” she said.
“We look forward to the second CT scanner … that will really increase the capability that we have here … particularly for our emergency department.”
