Bermuda Healthcare Services took delivery of its new MRI machine last Monday and it should be up and running by the end of next month, was told.

A new building costing around $500,000 has been built to house the $1.5 million machine, along with an upstairs apartment for the technician.

Office manager Kelley McKinney said the parking area at the practice in The Lane, Paget had been widened to allow the equipment in and to improve access to the main road.

The MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is an open model for patients who are claustrophobic or obese and can?t use the hospital?s closed model.

The machine is part of a joint venture between the Bermuda Healthcare Services and the Lahey Clinic in Massachusetts who will assess pictures sent by Internet within 48 hours.