Rod Stewart is helping to address 'ridiculous' backlogs by paying for patients' imaging exams

World famous singer-songwriter Rod Stewart recently hinted that he could be setting out on a new tour, but it won’t be taking place in stadiums or arenas around the world, rather, in hospitals and clinics throughout the United Kingdom and beyond. 

Stewart recently visited an NHS hospital to pay for a day’s worth of MRIs for patients at Princess Alexandra hospital in Harlow, Essex. The scans were later conducted at a private healthcare firm—InHealth’s mobile MRI unit—and Stewart indicates that there could be more funding to come in the future. 

The hospital’s Chief Operating Officer Stephanie Lawton indicated that Stewart’s contribution would help to reduce their waiting list by about 10%, or 20 patients. Lawton expressed enthusiasm to work with Stewart on continuing to address lengthy imaging waitlists. 

Stewart’s actions were prompted, in part, by his own experience undergoing medical imaging recently. The singer-songwriter told reporters that he (apologetically) had arrived late for a scan but was still allowed to complete it as scheduled. He said that the facility where the imaging took place had eight people working “with hardly anything to do.”  

“Then I thought this is a terrible injustice, so here we are,” Stewart said, before commenting on the current state of NHS’ “ridiculous” backlog of patients waiting for imaging. “We’ve got to sort this out, really. We’re in dire straits.” 

If the move proves successful, 78-year-old Stewart noted that he would like to continue to help by paying for more scans in other areas. 

“If this is a big success, which I think it will be, I’d like to do it in Belfast, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, and just keep it going, and hope some other people follow me,” Stewart said.