This small Australian town raised $2.6 million for a hospital MRI, and it could be a model for rural healthcare

Swan Hill in Victoria has collected $2.6 million for a MRI scanner at its hospital. Residents earlier travelled to Bendigo, Ballarat or Melbourne for scans. Ainsley O’Bryan says a local scanner would have helped earlier diagnosis. Paula Starrs led the fundraising. The hospital had already allocated $1.4 million. The MRI is expected to be functional by mid-2026 after infrastructure upgrades.