Broken Hill MRI - what are we waiting for?

There are two new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines in Broken Hill. One at Thrive Medical and one at the Broken Hill GP Super Clinic. Both of these machines have been privately funded and are willing to provide Medicare subsidised services, but they can’t get a Medicare Provider Number. Until they have a provider number, MRI patients need to travel to Mildura or Adelaide. The Far West Local Health District have acknowledged that these machines will benefit the residents of the region by decreasing the need to travel to access MRI services. The Broken Hill Health Service will support these providers by referring outpatients for MRI scans when clinically indicated.

Minister Hazzard has written to Hon Greg Hunt and I have written to Greg Hunt MP and Mark Coulton MP asking that we get these machines listed with a Medicare provider number so people don’t have long distances to travel for diagnostic imaging. Apparently there is no open application process for MRI Medicare eligible licences. This doesn’t make sense.  

I spoke with Sally Sara at the ABC National radio show "The World Today" recently - listen to the interview here.