By Charlene Macaulay
A federal MP is campaigning to get an MRI for Werribee Mercy Hospital.
Lalor MP Joanne Ryan has launched an online petition calling for the hospital to receive a full-rebate MRI licence and is aiming to get 1000 signatures.
Ms Ryan said as an area experiencing sustained and rapid growth, Wyndham was in desperate need of an MRI licence to deliver Medicare-subsidised scans to patients.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) produces high resolution images of the human body and helps identify medical issues that cannot be picked up on X-rays or ultrasounds, such as those concerning organs and muscles.
Currently, Wyndham residents can access an MRI at MIA Wyndham Radiology, which is based at the Wyndham Private Medical Centre in Hoppers Lane, but may incur considerable costs to do so.
Wyndham residents relying on the public health system have to travel to either Geelong, Sunshine or Melbourne’s CBD to access a Medicare-subsidised MRI machine.
Ms Ryan said some people had put off getting a scan because they could not afford the trip.
“I call on the federal government to join Labor’s commitment to fund 20 licences and to address the shortage in the western suburbs,” she said.
“Our hospital is putting patients in ambulances to drive them across the road to get their MRI scan done – I’ve experienced this with my own mother.
“It has to stop. I can’t imagine the waste of money and inefficiency.”
Sign the online petition at www.joanneryan.com.au/wyndham_needs_an_mri_licence A paper version is also available at Ms Ryan’s office, 4/203-205 Watton Street, Werribee.
