The 24/7 service was always part of Central Otago Health Services Ltd's business plan when the scanner was purchased five years ago, and hospital leaders had been working towards that since then, COHSL general manager Karyn Penno said.
But the 24/7 service was also a recommendation of a coroner's report released last week into the death of Wanaka man Warren Peter Bates.
Mr Bates fell down the stairs at his home in Wanaka on February 27, 2015 and was taken to Wanaka Medical Centre, then to Dunstan Hospital, in the early hours of Saturday, February 28. He was later transferred to Dunedin Hospital but there were delays to the ambulance departing for a variety of reasons, including no St John ambulance being available, and delays in Dunedin Hospital staff agreeing to Mr Bates' transfer; both Dunedin's emergency and neurosurgery department had initially ''refused responsibility'' for accepting his transfer because he had not had a CT scan at Dunstan, the report said.
Mr Bates died in the ambulance on the way to Dunedin from ''raised intracranial pressure due to an intracranial epidermoid cyst''. After his death Mr Bates was found to have an undiagnosed, large, benign brain tumour, and the bleed from the fall raised the intracranial pressure.
The coroner's report said Mr Bates' death raised issues relating to the availability of medical facilities and resources at Dunstan Hospital, including the absence of 24/7 CT scanner services at Dunstan. It recommended 24/7 services be implemented.
It also recommended developing district-wide head injury management guidelines, and that organisations including Dunstan Hospital, St John, the Southern District Health Board (SDHB) and the Otago Rescue Helicopter Trust work together to ensure the availability of sufficient transport options.
Ms Penno said Mr Bates' death was ''tragic'' and she acknowledged the distress of his family. His case was a reminder of why 24/7 CT scanner services were needed, she said. CT scanning was an important diagnostic tool, particularly for head injuries and strokes.
