As part of continued efforts to increase access to health services for all citizens, the government will this month purchase the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) equipment.

This was revealed by the Acting Chief Executive Officer of King Faisal Hospital in Kigali,(KFH) Dr. Juliet Mbabazi in an interview with The New Times.

According to Mbabazi, the machine will be installed at KFH, the national referral hospital.

"Experience has shown that over 50 patients in one year go out of the country for MRI services, and they are actually referred by King Faisal,” she said.

"With the procurement of this equipment, citizens will be able to acquire these services that they would otherwise not have obtained in the country.”

The official explained that the scanner is worth $3.5 million (Rwf2bn) and will be funded by the government.

"Since it is set to arrive this month, construction work for its site is already going on at the hospital premises. This equipment is sensitive and in Rwanda we do not have the ability to build the walls of where it will be placed but rather these walls have been imported from Netherlands.”

MRI provides much greater contrast between the various soft tissues of the body, making it especially useful in neurological (brain), musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and oncological (cancer) imaging.

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