Pacific Radiology officially opened its new "semi-permanent" premises at Remarkables Park on Thursday night after about a year of planning.
The facility includes a $2million Siemens MRI scanner - which has been operational for about a month - and a mammography machine for breast screening services, to be operated by BreastScreen Otago Southland.
Breast screens are expected to begin at the end of May.
The opening of the facility means patients from the wider Southern Lakes area will no longer have to travel to Invercargill or Dunedin for MRI scans and breast screening will be available year-round.
Previously, breast screening was carried out either in Invercargill or Dunedin, or in a mobile mammography unit available for 10 weeks every two years.Pacific Radiology regional manager Paul Morrison said the new premises, comprising three Portacom buildings, would probably be in use for three to four years.
The private operator is the anchor tenant of a $30 million private medical facility planned for a neighbouring site at Remarkables Park, announced by Remarkables Park Ltd and Skin Institute last January.
Mr Morrison said it had been a "long process" but the company was "happy with how it's come out".
"It's a lovely environment."
Radiologist Dr Mike McKewen, one of six full-time staff to be based at the new facility, said the service would continue to grow as more specialists established a base in Queenstown.
The company was also working with the Southern DHB to partner with Lakes District Hospital.
"We're quite keen to partner up with them and make sure we can work together," Dr McKewen said.
Fellow radiologist Dr Grant Meikle said one of Pacific Radiology's goals was to deliver world-class services and its new Queenstown offering was a "great example" of that.
"We've got a world-class location, world-class equipment and facility and, of course, world-class staff.
"Hopefully, we're improving access to deliver digital services to the whole of the Queenstown Lakes area and wider Central Otago.
"It's taken a while - we've had a few fishhooks, but we got here eventually [and] it's amazing to be inside this building," he said.
