The main hospital on the Western Isles is to spend £500,000 on a newer, safer and faster CT scanner.
The new device boasts improved image quality and reduced scanning times as well as ensuring patients get the lowest possible dose of radiation.
The work to install it in the Radiology Department Stornoway hospital is to start in May and is expected to take around two months.
That means it will be available for use from July but in the meantime NHS Western Isles will rent a mobile CT scanner for patients.
Those needing a CT scan will not get it at the radiology department during that time but from the mobile scanner which will be on hospital grounds.
Dr John Reid, Consultant Lead Radiologist for NHS Western Isles, said: “It’s great news that NHS Western Isles is to update the existing scanner with a state of the art machine.
“CT scanning is at the heart of modern diagnostic medicine and often represents the first investigation for many specialities, ranging from chest medicine to neurology.”
NHS Western Isles Chief Executive Gordon Jamieson said: “The advent of multi-slice scanners, with their improved resolution, patient throughput and range of diagnostic applications is making an important contribution to patient care.
“We are delighted to have been able to invest in this important piece of equipment, which will meet our CT scanning needs here in the Western Isles, and will enable us to continue to provide this important service to patients.”