{"id":653258,"date":"2026-06-14T10:59:05","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T08:59:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=653258"},"modified":"2026-06-14T10:59:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T08:59:48","slug":"installing-highly-sensitive-mri-machines-that-weigh-as-much-as-an-elephant-in-a-small-south-african-clinic-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/technology\/653258-installing-highly-sensitive-mri-machines-that-weigh-as-much-as-an-elephant-in-a-small-south-african-clinic-photos.html","title":{"rendered":"Installing highly sensitive MRI machines that weigh as much as an elephant in a small South African clinic \u2014\u00a0Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Western Cape private radiology practice SCP Radiology has embarked on a year-long project to replace three Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines across clinics in the province. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moving and installing MRI machines is far more complex than moving any other piece of hospital or healthcare equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It requires a carefully orchestrated process, with meticulous planning and structural assessments, to move the heavy, highly advanced, and extremely expensive equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is according to Tinus van Rooyen, business project manager at SCP Radiology, a private radiology practice in the Western Cape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The practice recently installed a new 3.3 tonne MRI at the Louis Leipoldt Mediclinic in Bellville, Cape Town, with two more on the way at other clinics in the province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MRI machines use powerful magnetic fields and radio waves to create detailed images of the human body, enabling radiologists to examine soft tissues, such as the brain, in great detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sensitive organs and complex body parts, such as the spine and joints, can be observed in relative safety, without invasive procedures or radiation from X-rays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverything is controlled by advanced computer systems, which convert signals into detailed scans,\u201d said Van Rooyen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lifespan of an MRI machine is approximately 10 to 15 years. Ageing machines must be replaced with new technology to improve image quality and enhance patient experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Machines can also reach the end of support, which means that the manufacturers are no longer providing updates to the software or manufacturing new parts for the machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt therefore becomes unreliable to keep it running. Patient care is paramount, as is minimising potential downtime and ensuring continuity of service,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For SCP Radiology, it recently began replacing its MRI machines with new, more efficient models that use less helium, a necessary resource to keep the magnets in the machines ice cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe newer MRI systems use sealed magnets that, although having to be kept at a temperature of 4 Kelvin (-269.15\u00b0 Celsius), require very little helium,\u201d said Van Rooyen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey require no refilling during their lifetime, and improvements in technology in the new machines also ensure improved image quality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over a month-long installation full of challenges<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The installed machine at Louis Leipoldt Mediclinic received its first patient.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRemoving our old MRI machine and replacing it is not quite \u2018all in a day\u2019s work\u2019. And our practice is doing it across multiple sites over the coming months,\u201d said Van Rooyen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SCP Radiology\u2019s new low Helium MRI machine weighs around 3.3 tonnes, about the weight of an elephant, and is still significantly lighter than older model machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The magnets in the machine are about 60,000 times stronger than the Earth\u2019s magnetic field when fully operational and can weigh several tonnes in themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for installing the machine at the Louis Leipoldt Mediclinic, the practice decided to locate the MRI on the first floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe room is engineered around the scanner. Without shielding and safety systems, the images would be unreliable and the risks much higher,\u201d said Van Rooyen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This required building a platform outside the clinic, moving and lifting the expensive piece of technology, and removing the external wall for access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe installation of each MRI unit is unique and depends on a number of factors. In the case of this new one at Louis Leipoldt, we had to partly close off a section of the road,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGetting the MRI into the building is a display in itself. Powerful cranes are used to lift the machine, hoisting it through a specially constructed opening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The installation required coordinated planning with multiple stakeholders to ensure that the project is executed safely and efficiently, said Heinie Matthyssen, SCP\u2019s facilities manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything was planned to the minute detail by the SCP team, and they also had to factor in the weather conditions in Cape Town, which can be erratic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SCP is set to install two more MRI machines at its facilities throughout the year. The Louis Leipoldt installation alone took 48 days from April to June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From June to August, the practice will install a new machine at SCP Radiology Vredenburg, at the Life West Coast Private Hospital. The last machine will be installed at Mediclinic Worcester at a later date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

More images of the MRI installation at Louis Leipoldt Mediclinic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SCP Radiology in Cape Town installed a highly advanced 3.3-tonne MRI machine at the Louis Leipoldt Mediclinic, documenting the challenging process along the way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":341213,"featured_media":653259,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[105820,105817,105821,12029,18925,105819,105818],"class_list":["post-653258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-heinie-matthyssen","tag-louis-leipoldt-mediclinic","tag-medical-equipment","tag-medicine","tag-mri","tag-scp-radiology","tag-tinus-van-rooyen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653258"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/341213"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=653258"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":653393,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653258\/revisions\/653393"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/653259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=653258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=653258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=653258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}