A new scanner and a laser used in eye surgeries will this week be handed over to the Whanganui District Health Board.

The equipment, valued at $1 million, has been gifted by the Wanganui Eye and Medical Trust, which has been providing medical gear to the DHB since 1989.

The two pieces of equipment were a computed tomography (CT) scanner, which would let doctors see any part of the body in greater detail than a standard x-ray, and a YAG laser.

The YAG laser is typically used in a treatment to increase vision after cataracts surgery.

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Whanganui DHB chief executive Russell Simpson said it was an extraordinary gift.

Wanganui Eye and Medical Care Trust chairman Richard Moore said his organisation was only able to obtain the equipment thanks to donations from the public.

The trust's arrangement with the DHB specifies that all equipment it hands over must only be used in the Whanganui region.