Prince George, B.C. –  Easy does it.

That was the operative phrase today as a work crew removed a 12,000 pound MRI unit from the University Hospital of Northern B.C.

In the short term, the 14-year-old unit will be replaced by a mobile MRI unit provided by Siemens Healthcare which will serve patients for about four months while a new MRI suite is constructed.

Northern Health says the new MRI should be in service by mid to late June. The new MRI unit in Prince George is one of three communities to receive new MRIs in northern B.C.

The other communities receiving the machines are Terrace and Fort St. John. The unit removed today was the oldest in the province.

The total cost of all three, including equipment and installation, is $8.3 million.