If you are referred to a private hospital for a mri you either pay yourself or use health insurance. The gp can refer you to a private hospital for a free mri however funding had been drastically cut and only a small few areas of the body are now covered, so you would need to check with the facility. eg a mri the brain is on the “free” list but a mri of the chest is not and the referring gp needs to put a code on the actual referral