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This Week’s Issue

Mammogram Machine update

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Published on

August 19, 2025

Mercury Bay Medical Equipment Trust have now raised $350,000.

The Mercury Bay Medical Equipment Trust is working hard to get this service up and running.

We are pleased to confirm that the funds raised to purchase the mammogram are in excess of $350,000 which is a tremendous effort from all the Eastern Coromandel Community. These funds are held in the combined Lions Clubs trust account.

Purchasing a 3D machine

We have received two quotations from reputable suppliers for 3d mammogram machines. This may seem a simple process but with many options available, we have had to ensure that we order a machine that will be able to just do screening mammograms at present, but has the capability to do more complex diagnostic mammograms in the future. This will require a radiologist or breast specialist present at the time they are taken. We have learnt a lot about this with the help of specialist radiologists.

Location

We need at least 60 square metres of space to house the mammography suite consisting of a reception area, waiting area, two change rooms and the mammography area. There are two preferred options for us at present, both of which will need to be built. Mammography units like x ray facilities have some specific requirements regarding the need to contain scattered radiation. This is not so straight forward and the machine which weighs over 300 kg, needs a concrete pad to sit on. This makes a purpose-built facility our preference to comply with the manufacturer’s requirements. We are in the process of finalising a location from which the machine will operate.

Who will operate the machine?

The short answer is nothing is finalized yet but negotiations are on going and commercially sensitive at present. As soon as we have concluded our negotiations, this will trigger the purchase order for the machine and the build contract for the mammography suite. We will advise the community of the outcome as soon as we can.

Going forward

The trustees are working hard to ensure that we get the best possible service for mammography for the women of the Eastern Coromandel and this is taking longer than expected, but is time well spent to ensure the best possible outcome. We are working towards a timeline of the end of 2026 or before to have the unit up and running.

The Mercury Bay Medical Equipment Trust is happy to answer any further questions you may have. You can email these to Mike Brown at email: whitibrown4@gmail.com