Shetland is saving up for its own MRI scanner.
Currently, if you need an MRI scan, you have to travel to either Aberdeen or Glasgow. Not an easy trip, I can tell you on ferry (12-14 hours) or flight (1-2 hours). 14 hours on the ferry when it is rough with a bad back is the actual definition of torture.
From the MRI Maakers website …..
“Flights shown in red can take patients to both Glasgow and Aberdeen take between 1 and 2 hours roughly, but can be disrupted by weather, including fog in particular at Sumburgh Airport in Shetland. This can mean missed scan appointments causing a delay of several weeks for the next available slot. For patients travelling to Aberdeen, there’s an overnight ferry option, which takes between 12 and 14 hours each way but is slightly cheaper. This too can be disrupted, usually due to high winds. There is only one flight to and from Glasgow each day, which means patients sent there must stay overnight. The entire cost of these journeys and any necessary accommodation costs are currently funded by NHS Shetland, on top of the fee paid for the scan itself.
With over 600 patients (and rising) being sent for MRI scans every year, some several times, this is a huge financial burden on NHS Shetland. It accounts for at least £225,720 per year in travel costs alone currently and with a 68% increase in MRI scans performed between 2010 – 2015, that figure will keep rising.”
I can attest to all of this. As you may be aware, I have had three spinal operations and many MRI scans in the past few years. I even had to be air ambulanced to the Aberdeen scanner. It was beyond words. To have an MRI scanner up here in Shetland would be a huge help to many.
So there is much fund-raising going for this vital piece of equipment and if you are interested, you can help too – LINK TO SHETLAND MRI SCANNER APPEAL.
“MRI Maakers” (Shetland knitters) have designed this beautiful hat and headband.
If you would like to contribute towards Shetland’s MRI Scanner Appeal, a PDF of either knitting pattern is available to buy and download – LINK TO THE ONLINE SHOP
“The pattern includes detailed instructions along with a list of materials and colours needed to reproduce your own Harriet’s Hat, with all proceeds going toward the MRI Scanner Appeal.”
And apparently, according to Twitter, there is going to be a Fingerless Gloves pattern coming soon.
Also, if you want a hard copy of the patterns (only hat and headband currently out), then let me know and when I am next in town I will buy one for you and post it on. Just email me your details – frances@fstaylor.co.uk – I am always happy to help. This is a very essential cause for Shetland and think what fun you can have knitting this lovely Fair Isle pattern.
Thank you xxx
We have been enjoying your delightful photos and posts for several months. This one has motivated us to make a hundred pound donation from Canada. Fifty eight years ago my then boy friend and I sat on a large smooth rock on the beach at Baltasound on the Island of Unst, sheltering under an umbrella from the rain. He proposed to me. I accepted and sealed it with a kiss and we searched for garnets in the rock face to maybe make a ring. Sadly they were not the quality required for mounting! However we were married in 1962, emigrating in 1966 to Montreal to start a new chapter in our lives. We have coloured slides from that Shetland holiday that we still look at and remember the wonderful visit we shared and the people we met. It was a magical place for us!
Congratulations to your daughter on her academic achievements.
We trust that the fundraiser will be a great success.
A huge thank you, Penny, and what a lovely beautiful romantic tale. (sniff).
And thank you for your kind words about Daisy and her achievements.
(I hope you still have the garnets from the Unst rock, even if they didn’t make it to your ring – so very special).
Why does Shetland need to collect donations for something as vital as an MRI scanner? How did Aberdeen and Glasgow obtain their scanners? Or Edinburgh? London? I guess my question is about the healthcare system un the UK as it pertains to Shetland. It just seems unfair to me.
Because sadly that’s the way it goes. If we want one, we have to buy one. In 2006, Shetland folk did just that and bought a CT scanner.