League gives hospital £70,000 scanner in 50th anniversary year

YOUNG patients of Musgrove Park Hospital, in Taunton, will benefit from a new state of the art scanner, thanks to the hospital’s league of friends.
The £70,000 Echocardiogram/Ultrasound Scan will provide the paediatric department with the facilities to perform heart scanning on children of all ages.
This includes infants and even premature babies who can also have brain scanning carried out with the new machine.
The technology can be linked to other hospitals to allow for greater communication between clinicians across the region.
Consultant paediatrician Dr Talal Farha, who has a special interest in paediatric cardiology, said: “We are extremely grateful to the league of friends for their efforts to provide us with the funds needed to purchase this technology.
“Without a doubt, this will be of benefit for all children of Somerset.
“We have already started using the new scanner and we currently scan an average of 50 to 60 children each month.”
League of friends chairman Margaret Pegge said: “We are very grateful to everybody who helps the league - the money that we collect makes a direct and powerful difference to the care offered to patients at Musgrove Park.
“It is the league’s 50th anniversary in 2009 and we hope many more people will join us in our work.”

• Our photograph shows Dr Talal Farha with Margaret Pegge and Alice Da Costa, who was the first patient to be scanned with the machine. Photo submitted.