Under the agreement, the most modern magnetic resonance imaging scanner in the region will be delivered to the hospital on schedule. The brand-new, five-ton device manufactured by General Electric has already been purchased thanks to the financial participation of all municipalities in Bolesławiec County.
The device is very quiet during operation. The examination, which can take up to 50 minutes on older machines, is reduced to 10–15 minutes. In addition, the patient's entire body can be examined at once. This is particularly important for patients struggling with cancer. The equipment will detect the primary tumor and any metastases in the body.
The Faraday cage, which prevents the magnetic field from escaping outside, is currently being installed. The MRI scanner will arrive in Bolesławiec on February 6. The first examinations for hospital patients will be performed from mid-April 2020. Outpatient examinations, in turn, will begin after a reimbursement agreement is signed with the NFZ. As hospital director Kamil Barczyk announces, since December last year he has had positive opinions from the Fund and the Lower Silesian Voivode. Therefore, MRI examinations will be financed from public funds, meaning that patients will receive them free of charge. There is no risk that the NFZ will withdraw funding for diagnostics in Bolesławiec.
In addition, commercial examinations will be available—for people without a referral from a specialist—which the patient will pay for themselves.
As part of the investment, the IT system is being expanded so that examination results can be sent directly from the laboratory, for example, to the operating theater, the emergency department (SOR), or other specialized medical centers for consultation.
The entire laboratory located on the ground floor of the hospital building is being renovated. Until recently, the premises were occupied by a private company performing examinations, which the hospital commissioned and paid for diagnostic imaging.
In addition to the MRI scanner, a CT scanner and a digitized X-ray machine will be installed in the same location. The X-ray machine will be equipped with a ceiling-mounted suspension, allowing examinations to be performed on people with, for example, significant mobility impairments or accident-related limb injuries, without having to change their body position or expose patients to additional suffering.
The entire investment—including the purchase of equipment, including computer equipment, and construction work—costs PLN 4.8 million. As the director emphasizes, this is one of the largest and most important investments carried out at the county hospital over the past 10 years.