Trust to discuss Shetland MRI Scanner Appeal’s £500k bid in ‘coming weeks’ 

A six figure boost to Shetland’s campaign to secure an MRI scanner, sparing patients hundreds of trip to the mainland each year, could soon be agreed. 

Shetland Charitable Trust is set to meet to discuss the £500,000 grant application in the coming weeks. 

The Shetland MRI Scanner Appeal has already raised more than £750,000 towards its £1.65m target in just two years. 

Campaigners have previously praised the “incredible community effort” in making such rapid progress towards the target.

The SCT’s decision to discuss the appeal’s grant application follows Friday’s meeting of its general purposes advisory committee. 

Trust chairmanAndrew Cooper said: “The trust is pleased to have reached the stage where a special meeting can be arranged for trustees to make a formal decision on this one-off grant application.”

If the fundraising appeal is successful it would enable the 600-plus patients who current travel south for scans each year to be seen at the Gilbert Bain Hospital instead. The scans could then be sent to the same specialists who analyse them now. 

The appeal has highlighted the many problems faced by patients travelling to the mainland, including delays due to bad weather, and the impact on family life and child care.

The savings in patient travel would be put towards staffing the MRI scanner.