THE PRIVATE radiology service, Pacific Radiology, in Masterton is closing, after just four years.
Lance Lawler, managing director of the service which opened in Lincoln Road in August 2002, said yesterday the service "just didn't pay despite everyone working very hard to make it viable, but essentially we can do better
through the hospital than through the rooms".
The service would close in about a month.
Pacific Radiology also operated as support for Wairarapa Hospital and staff ? one fulltime and three part-time radiographers ? who were mostly also contracted to the Wairarapa District Health Board.
Radiologists were on 24-hour call for the hospital.
Dr Lawler said the clinic offered a reporting turnaround of one working day with urgent reports being done in minutes, plus bone density tests and free breast scans every Friday.
He said general X-rays cost from $50 to $70, which varied depending on what had to be X-rayed, but most people had obviously not minded going on the hospital waiting list.
Simon Snook, who liaised with Wairarapa GPs for the board, said there was a 10-day wait for a free general non-urgent X-ray at Wairarapa Hospital while emergencies were done when needed.
Reporting turnaround for a general X-ray was also about 10 days
Dr Lawler said it had been with great pleasure that Pacific Radiology had opened in 2002 and it was with great regret it was closing down.
"It's a terrible thing to have to do, to put people through this sort of thing, but some of our staff have taken it as an opportunity to look at lifestyle choices."
He said Pacific Radiology was at present going through the process of discussing future staffing arrangements with the district health board.
Masterton Medical manager Jeff Ryan said he was disappointed to hear Pacific was closing and the group practice had had "very good service from them".
Mr Ryan said from a patient's point of view it was also very good to have had two options.
Pacific had also provided a free mammography service every Friday and it is not known whether the health board will take up the service.
The Health Ministry's national breast-screening programme which comes to Wairarapa by bus every year is now available to women aged 45 to 70
