Patients at Jersey's General Hospital are due to benefit from the donation of �40,000 worth of medical equipment.

The Jersey Freemasons have donated two machines to reduce the amount of time patients wait before they receive test results.

The two machines have been given to the hospital's pathology department.

It is hoped the first machine will speed up the laboratory's ability to diagnose malignancies in tissue biopsies.

Waiting time

The second will be able to take high quality tissue samples faster.

The Provincial Grand Master David Rosser said he hopes the donation of the new machines will mean patients will get their results in half the usual time.

"I hope it will speed up the turnaround," he said.

"The long wait between having a biopsy taken and having the result adds to the anxiety

"To speed up that process so that the waiting time is shorter must be an advantage to those people waiting for that information," he said.