New $4 million Millennium Radiology Clinic

Abano Healthcare Group announces new $4 million Millennium Radiology Clinic

Listed healthcare provider, Abano Healthcare Group, has today announced the development of a new $4 million specialist radiology clinic in the AUT Millennium Campus, on Auckland’s North Shore.

The new Millennium radiology clinic, which is planned to open in June 2012, is a joint venture between Ascot Radiology, which offers a full range of high quality imaging, and Insight Radiology, which provides a specialist ultrasound and obstetric service. Abano has majority shareholdings in both businesses.

The AUT Millennium Campus is home to the Millennium Institute of Sport and Health, and High Performance Sport NZ. It consists of specialist buildings, swimming pools and track and field facilities, and is dedicated to helping New Zealanders excel in sport. Over the past year, the AUT Millennium complex has undergone a $43 million expansion and has been transformed into the National Training Centre for High Performance Sport. In line with this, it provides world class facilities and support services, including specialised medical and healthcare support.

The new radiology practice will be located in the Millennium Campus and in close proximity to the clinical rooms of a number of leading orthopaedic surgeons, including Matthew Brick, and Auckland Bone and Joint group, with many clinical obstetricians also located nearby.

It will open with an array of new technology and equipment, including Australasia’s first GE second generation wide-bore 3T Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner. This cutting edge scanner improves the accuracy of the image, allowing for better diagnosis, and has more room inside the scanner tunnel, providing for a more comfortable patient experience. Also on site will be a number of 3D and 4D Ultrasound scanners, a plain film x-ray suite and mammography, with an earmarked extension for CT to be installed within the next two years.

The existing Insight Radiology clinic in Takapuna will relocate to the Millennium practice, where it will continue operations in an expanded obstetric clinic which will be closer to major referral groups. The move will also allow Insight’s clients to have onsite access to the new mammography and MRI suites, which will allow other radiology studies to be undertaken that were previously referred elsewhere.

Managing director of Abano, Mr Alan Clarke, commented: “The AUT Millennium Campus is impressive and provides an ideal fit for Abano’s specialist diagnostic radiology businesses.

“We are very pleased to announce this second organic expansion of our radiology group, following the successful opening of our PET-CT Cancer Centre at Ascot Central last year. The development of this new clinic at the AUT Millennium Campus not only brings together two highly respected and complementary specialist radiology businesses, but opens up a whole new specialist referral market for us.
 
“This investment is in line with our strategy to grow our presence in this sector through co-ownership with our radiologist partners and we will be looking to expand this partnership in coming months. We expect this new business to provide a new, reliable and fast growing income stream for Abano.”

ENDS