HEALTH Secretary Alan Milburn has named the region's hospitals which are to receive cancer scanning equipment.

Seven months ago the Darlington MP told the Britain Against Cancer conference that an additional 100 scanners would shortly be installed at hospitals in England and Wales.

Yesterday, Mr Milburn gave details of where the equipment will be based.

In the North-East, additional MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scanners are to be installed at the Freeman Hospital, in Newcastle, and South Tyneside District Hospital, in South Shields. An extra CT (computerised tomography) scanner is to be installed at the County Durham and Darlington Acute trust, probably at the University Hospital of North Durham.

In North Yorkshire additional MRI scanners are to be installed at Scarborough General Hospital and Harrogate District Hospital. An extra CT scanner is going in at York District Hospital.

Two years ago a report by the National Confidential Enquiry into Perioperative Deaths warned that the nation's healthcare system was failing patients with cancer because of poor record keeping, a lack of uniformity in cancer care and a shortage of staff.

Yesterday, Mr Milburn said: "Tackling cancer is a top clinical priority in the NHS. By 2006, no cancer scanner in the NHS will be older than the Government. Every one will have been renewed since 1997.

"We are moving towards having cancer services up with the best in Europe after decades lagging behind."

The NHS Cancer Plan aims to invest an extra £407m for cancer services in the current financial year, rising to £570m by 2003-4.

Lorraine Lambert, chief executive of South Tyneside NHS Health Care Trust, said: "This is a very big day for South Tyneside, one of the biggest in our history. We are delighted that our patients will finally be able to benefit from an MRI scanner here on their doorstep."