CALGARY (660 NEWS) – The provincial government is injecting $33 million to cut down on wait times for non-emergency CT scans and MRI.
Premier Jason Kenney made the announcement Friday morning along with Health Minister Tyler Shandro.
The one-time funds for these procedures are coming from the 2021 budget which was passed in the legislature on Thursday.
The funding comes from Budget 2021. Gov says demand for CT scans in #Alberta is going up by 5% per year & it's 3.5% per year for MRI scans. UCP explains emergency scans are done quick but non-emergency scan wait times are unreasonable. #yyc #yeg #abpoli #ableg — Full statement: pic.twitter.com/D1Hojf3CzP
— Saif Kaisar (@StaySaif) March 26, 2021
“Albertans need better results from our health-care system, including from MRIs and CT scans that can diagnose their health condition and set them on the path to recovery,” said Kenney. “This commitment is part of Alberta’s historic investment in health care. We will ensure that all health dollars are spent wisely to support patients and families.”
According to the UCP, demand for CT scans in Alberta is increasing by five per cent annually, while MRIs are growing at about 3.5 per cent per year.
As of December 2020, nearly 45,000 Albertans were waiting for a CT scan while almost 60,000 waited for an MRI. Those numbers have dropped since March of last year.
“Alberta’s radiologists welcome this initiative to decrease waitlists for CT and MRI, two critical tools in the overall function of our health-care system,” said president of the Alberta Medical Association Section of Diagnostic Imaging, Dr. Robert Davies.
The $33 million is in addition to the $1 billion the province already spends on diagnostic imaging services.
The province is hoping this aggressive action plan will ensure wait times for these scans are reduced to more reasonable ones by 2023.
