It's a magnetic attraction! That's the verdict of Mr. James Lewis, who this week became the first patient from Pembrokeshire to use Withybush Hospital's new £1.3m state-of-the-art MRI scanner. Mr. Lewis from Clarbeston Road, Haverfordwest, was one of the first to reap the benefits of the cutting-edge technology which include better images for earlier diagnosis and services available locally, eliminating the need to travel outside of the county. The new 1.5 Telsa MRI scanner, funded by Welsh Assembly Government, is installed in a custom- designed building adjacent to the current radiology department. Said consultant radiologist Karen Bradshaw, of Pembrokeshire and Derwen NHS Trust: "This scanner is a huge investment into local healthcare and will give us the ability to see more patients locally. This will reduce waiting times at a time of greatly increased demand for cancer screening and musculo-skeletal scans, reduce the need for some invasive surgery and CT or ultrasound scans and speed up referrals from the community. "In addition, the new scanner will help with the recruitment of highly-qualified consultant radiologists seeking MRI experience which is a medical speciality in which consultants are in short supply nationally." Pembrokeshire and Derwen NHS Trust director of operations, Mags Barnaby, added: "This new MRI facility is part of the first phase of a £39m service improvement plan at Withybush Hospital which demonstrates the high levels of investment taking place across the Trust to provide modern, fit for purpose healthcare services. It will be a major boost towards improving the quality of service and care available to the people of Pembrokeshire."