Mobile MRI at Regina General set to be up and running by end of July, province says

A previously announced mobile MRI unit has officially made its way to Regina’s General Hospital.

The $2.4 million unit arrived at the facility in mid-June. Since then, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) has worked to prepare it for patient care.

Capacity wise, the unit is expected to deliver 5,000 scans over the next two years.

Health Minister Everett Hindley said the mobile unit reflects the government's commitment to improving wait times.

“We know this stuff doesn’t happen overnight. We are grateful to our partner in the SHA and the medical imaging departments. We can’t do this without the staff that can operate these machines and interpret the results,” he told reporters Tuesday.

"This improvement will increase access to diagnostic imaging in Regina and enhance overall patient experiences and outcomes by expediting diagnosis and the onset of treatment plans, which is particularly crucial in emergency situations."

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The MRI unit is being leased by the SHA from James Smith Cree Nation (JSCN) and National Medical Imaging, which is owned by JSCN.

“Knowing that they need this imaging and they need these diagnosis for the doctor to do the proper diagnosis can alleviate some of the stress from families,” James Smith Cree Nation Chief Kirby Constant said.

“We start this one partnership, it’s going to grow into another one. Not only in our community but in other communities as well. It’s not only just for us, we got to be prosperous together,” he added.

While the provincial government reports that MRI wait times are down across Saskatchewan – demand for services in Regina along with referrals from southern Saskatchewan have increased.

The province initially announced its mobile MRI plan in December of 2023.

-With files from Angela Stewart