King Edward VII Memorial Hospital has moved a step closer to acquiring a $1.5 million piece of diagnostic equipment after Planning granted permission for the specialised building where it will be housed to be built.

Yesterday the hospital's Chief of Staff, Dr. June Hill, told The Royal Gazette it is hoped the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) unit will be up and running by September.

"We're very excited about it," Dr. Hill said. "We've been working feverishly to meet that date.

"Of course, any project that involves construction requires some flexibility in dates, but we are definitely aiming for the end of summer."

The lack of a local MRI unit has meant that, on average, 500 people must be flown to the United States for MRI scans every year.

With trips ringing up at roughly $3,000 per patient, hospital administrators say the MRI should pay for itself within a year.

Using a high-intensity magnet rather than radiation, the MRI is also thought to be a healthier alternative to for those requiring angiograms or other scans.

The magnet used in the MRI is so powerful it must be housed in a special, separate unit from the hospital.

The Development Applications Board (DAB) granted permission for the prefabricated MRI cassette building to go ahead at its May 8 meeting.

The pre-fabricated building will be physically attached to the eastern end of the hospital where the Emergency department is located.

But the prefab walls are purpose-built to temper any potential health risks created by the powerful magnet - with three layers, each deep enough to contain the magnetic flux.

"All of the metal within the building will need to be magnetic field shielded," the DAB board report noted.

"The magnetic field around the magnet is measured by gauss lines. The inner gauss line is contained within the borders of the cassette. The magnetic field within this line would have health implications for some people.

"The middle gauss line indicates the level of sensitivity that would not normally have health implications."

At this second layer, persons moving about the building would be safe - but bikes or cars - moving in the vicinity could cause diagnostic problems.

The report continued: "The outer gauss line is important in that heavy metal moving objects within this area would impact the quality of the image.

"Consequently the proposal involves restricting vehicles from this area."

To keep metal vehicles away from the MRI the hospital will have to relocate the access road which currently circumnavigates the building.

Therefore, Planning permission was also granted to remove the canopies outside the CT scan area and emergency area and relocate the road. That area will also be extensively landscaped.

The board report added: "In order for a vehicle to penetrate the magnetic field, it would have to go over the kerb and through an extensively landscaped area.

"It is unlikely such an incident would escape the attention of staff who would be aware of the implications of the object within the magnetic field."