Stepping into the future with complex Medical Imaging upgrades

Paynters has wrapped up work on a $3 million upgrade of Townsville University Hospital’s medical imaging department.

The work included the construction of a second MRI suite involving the installation of a Siemens 1.5 tonne Magnetom Sola MRI scanner and a second DSA suite. The works consisted of extensive demolition and internal fit out alterations to existing areas to allow construction of the new MRI procedure room, control room, induction space, cannulation and equipment room.

During the early phase of the works, the demolition required an intensive level of planning and coordination to ensure interruption was kept to a minimum. This was highly challenging as the main construction area was in the middle of the current operational medical imaging department.

A standout element of the project was the delivery of the faraday cage which conceals the MRI procedure room and provides the MRI scanner with protection against external electrical interference. This ensures image quality is maintained and at completion of the works is tested for compliance against stringent guidelines. It was extremely satisfying to see this project come to a completion with no issues or concerns.

The complete project took about three months of pre-construction planning and 11 months of actual construction to complete, highlighting the complexity and challenges of the project despite the relatively small footprints. These challenges were overcome through extensive collaboration with all stakeholders and as a result the project was a huge success.