A HUGE crane towered over Queen Margaret Hospital on Sunday as it picked up and delivered "essential" equipment that will help cut waiting times.

A new state-of-the-art MRI scanner, funded by the Scottish Government, was lifted from a lorry in the car park and high over the building before being put in place.

Installation will take a number of weeks and it'll become operational in April.

NHS Fife director of acute services, Claire Dobson, said: “The replacement of the MRI scanner at Queen Margaret Hospital will provide a number of benefits for patients across Fife.

“Diagnostic imaging is a critical component of modern and effective healthcare, with more than 14,000 MRI scans carried out in Fife last year alone.

"With the demand for MRI increasing year-on-year, it is essential that we continue to have the capacity to meet this demand.

“The installation of the new state-of-the-art scanner will not only provide rapid access to the highest-quality diagnostic imaging; it will also reduce the maintenance time and assist us to minimise diagnostic waiting times for patients in Fife.”

The replacement of the existing MRI scanner follows the replacement on the mammography unit at QMH in December.