Finally an MRI in this Sarthe hospital, valuable time saved for appointments

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The announcement was made yesterday, Thursday November 7, 2024: the La Ferté-Bernard hospital (Sarthe) will be equipped withan MRI (magnetic resonance imager) in the first trimester 2026. The ARS (Regional Health Agency) gave its approval to the establishment on October 26, 2024.

“This is an important new tool for patients. Between Chartres (Eure-et-Loir) and Le Mans, there is no MRI. This will reduce appointment scheduling times. Today, it takes 8 to 12 weeks to obtain one,” comments Philippe Cutté, deputy director of the La Ferté-Bernard hospital center and the Montmirail EHPAD.

A new building for the future MRI next to the scanner at La Ferté-Bernard hospital

The equipment should be operational in the first quarter of 2026 since it requires the construction of a new building, next to the Fertois scanner, located on avenue Pierre-Brûlé. “We are going to connect it to the hospital,” notes the deputy director of the hospital.

Which evokes a total investment of 2.7 million euros, i.e. 1 million euros for the construction of the building of 100 to 120 m2, which must be electromagnetically shielded, and 1.7 million euros for the purchase of the imager, “if we invest, because there are also rental possibilities”.

An ambitious project for an establishment where everyone knows the “difficult” financial situation, as Philippe Cutté admits.

Most of our loans expire in the early 2030s but we still have opportunities to borrow.

22 to 24 patients per day for a break-even MRI

The hospital center will also have to face another difficulty, that of recruiting manipulators. “We have a training plan for 2025 and 2026 to retrain all of our staff. »

Another unknown, finally, is the profitability of such equipment. 22 to 24 patients per day will have to be welcomed to take examinations to balance the installation. “This is why we are considering the creation of a group with private radiologists, in order to help finance this MRI,” explains Philippe Cutté.

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