There were ''lots of very smiley people'' at Dunstan Hospital yesterday as the district's much-anticipated CT scanner arrived. Central Otago Health Services Ltd runs the hospital and general manager Karyn Penno said the arrival of the $1 million scanner generated much excitement.
''It's been an exciting day, to see the boxes containing the equipment arrive and now the gear being put together.
''Everywhere you look there's happy faces, lots of smiley people, just thrilled the scanner is here,'' Ms Penno said.
The machine had been the focus of a fundraising campaign covering the wider Central Otago district. The Central Lakes Trust made a grant of $1 million for the equipment and the community had raised more than $200,000 so far for fitting out the scanner suite.
Shipped from Germany, the Siemens scanner should be fully installed by the end of this week. Testing of the gear and operator training would be carried out over several weeks. The first patients would use it in early June, Ms Penno said.
''We'll be finished installation and have this spinning by Friday,'' Siemens service engineer John Milburn, of Dunedin, said yesterday.
The scanner is used as a diagnostic tool. The doughnut-shaped machine does not spin, but the elements within it do.
Ms Penno said the suite had radiation-proof walls, window and doors, and air conditioning to prevent overheating.
''We had lots of people asking about the scanner so we're looking forward to holding open days, to show the public where their funds have been used,'' she said.
The official ''opening'' of the scanner will be in August as part of the hospital's 150th anniversary celebrations.
