§ Mr. Gareth WardellTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set a guideline as to the number of magnetic resonance imagers that is needed to serve the diagnostic health needs of the British people.
§ Mr. DorrellMagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is only one of a number of diagnostic imaging techniques which include conventional radiography, nuclear medicine, ultrasound and computerised tomography. It is therefore not possible to give any generally valid guidance on the number of magnetic resonance imaging imagers needed either for England and Wales as a whole or for individual regions. Provider units in each region will need 331W to assess their need for additional imagers in the light of diagnostic facilities already available and their own and purchasing authorities' judgment of clinical priorities.