Member for Barker Tony Pasin has today launched a petition to gain support for a MRI machine in the Riverland.

The Federal Government announced on Sunday ten locations to receive Medicare subsidised MRIs, with a further 20 locations yet to be determined.

Mr Pasin says he is fighting for the Riverland to be included as one of these 20.

The total of 30 sites to receive Medicare subsidised MRIs will provide more than 400,000 Australians access to lifesaving scans with a total $175 million investment from the Morrison Government.

“Riverland residents currently have to travel to Adelaide or Mildura to undergo an MRI scan. I want to see this service available locally,” Mr Pasin said.

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is a diagnostic imaging scanning procedure that uses strong magnets and radiofrequency pulses to collect information that is processed by a computer to form images.

MRI gives a detailed view of the soft tissues of the body such as muscles, ligaments, brain tissue, discs and blood vessels and is used by doctors to diagnose a number of different medical conditions.

MRI is used to diagnose a range of conditions that other imaging procedures cannot.

“In modern medicine, MRI’s are an essential diagnostic tool commonly used to identify undiagnosed health conditions and save significant personal and financial costs associated with the same,” said Mr Pasin.

“I want to see this service available to residents in the Riverland without needing to travel long distances to Adelaide or Mildura.”

In 2016-17, a fully operational Medicare-eligible MRI unit provided, on average, around 5,500 services for over 4,000 patients (in metropolitan areas) and over 3,000 services for nearly 2,500 patients (in regional areas).

“If successful in this campaign, an MRI in the Riverland will see patients taking 3,000 less trips to Adelaide or Mildura. That would be a great outcome for Riverland residents,” said Mr Pasin.

Mr Pasin is encouraging Riverland residents to sign the petition for a Riverland MRI service at his website at http://www.tonypasin.com/mri-petition/

Tony will also be at the Loxton Show this coming Sunday and Monday with a hard copy of the petition to sign.